Blame it on the Cuervo
by CallistoLexx
Summary: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Right? But sometimes, it's just the beginning of something special and you find what you never knew you were looking for. AU/AH, E/B, Em/R, J/A, Some E/T.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER:** _Twilight_ and all its characters and stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Little Brown. I'm merely playing with others' toys. They will be returned in the condition in which I got them (or maybe better).

**Dedications:** As always, this story is dedicated to the glorious Boo (seriously, go read _Turning Dust Into Gold_ and the story she co-writes with Tamelaine, _Going For the Gold_. You won't be disappointed). It is also dedicated to both Carrie Underwood and Katy Perry for inspiring this story with their songs (links to the songs in question are on my profile).

**Author's Notes:** This story is only partially-formed in my head. I know specific things I want to happen in it, but am a bit sketchy on the rest. And, for that reason, I'd love to hear what you all think and any thoughts or ideas you have on what you'd like to see happen. I can't guarantee that I'll use the ideas, but I'll certainly give them much thought. You can share your ideas in your reviews or hop on over to the Twilighted forums and reply in the BiotC thread (link on my profile).

So, without further ado, enjoy!

* * *

**Prologue**

**BPOV**

_Thud! Thud! Thud!_

I woke slowly to a constant, horrible rhythmic pounding. I felt absolutely horrible. Had I gotten into an accident last night? I couldn't remember. The night was a swirling mass of darkness not unlike a black hole.

_Thud! Thud! Thud!_

I began to catalogue my symptoms. My mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. Unfortunately, the cotton wasn't restricted only to my mouth and had infused the rest of my head as well. My stomach threatened to rebel if I shifted even the tiniest bit. I think I was starting to understand what had happened to me, but my fuzzy mind couldn't seem to focus properly. It almost hurt to breathe, my entire body protesting the necessary, involuntary action. There was a heavy weight lying over my waist.

_Oh my god, did I have a horrible fall? Was I paralyzed from the waist down? Why won't my mind focus?_

My melodramatic tendencies went into overdrive, another indication of the conclusion I just couldn't grasp. And, to top it all off, someone wouldn't stop pounding on the fucking door.

I tried to open my eyes to assess the damage only to snap them shut immediately. The curtains were open, the Venetian blinds not doing nearly enough to block out the bright, desert sun. I stifled the groan that wanted to burn my throat. The sunlight wouldn't help matters, especially now that I was finally able to grasp onto what was wrong with me and was able to realize that the pounding wasn't someone at the door. It was my own head.

What had happened last night? The last thing I can remember is getting dressed up to go out clubbing with The Girls (as we called ourselves). What had happened after that? Well, obviously I had gotten drunk, which would explain everything that was currently wrong with me.

I felt the bed shift—I had to suppress my stomach's will to yell out "Shark!" and evacuate all swimmers from the beach—and the weight around my waist tightened its hold, pulling me closer to something hard and warm. Something hard, warm, and breathing. Not a weight—no threat of permanent paralysis—just the arm of some unknown man.

I took a moment to ponder.

Okay, I had gotten drunk and had a one night stand. That wasn't so bad, considering what could have happened in this godforsaken place I was forced to visit. I hoped I had at least had a good time with the mystery man beside me. And if I hadn't, then at least I didn't remember it. Oh, lord, I hoped he wasn't a clingy dork-type…thing.

I gathered my willpower and prepared myself for the light as I slowly cracked my eyes open, the light diffused by my eyelashes. I looked over everything I could see without moving my head too much—I don't think my stomach would be able to handle much more movement.

The room was beautiful. The walls were a deep cream color, the little bit of the carpet I could see from my vantage point was a lighter shade of the same. The bedside table and the nearby desk were a dark mahogany color and the chairs I could see nearby were a nice taupe color. The sheets—all I could see of the bedding—were white and tangled around my legs, leaving the bulk of my body—_Dear lord, I'm naked!_ Knowing it and actually fully realizing it were two different things—uncovered. I couldn't adequately judge the size of the bed, but I thought it was large. This was a hotel room (and judging from the vague familiarity of the room, I'd guess that we were still in the Bellagio, where Alice and Rose sprang for the rooms); just not my hotel room. It must be his. At least I wouldn't have to deal with The Girls barging in with much more exuberance and volume than by body could handle at the moment.

I relaxed deeper into the bed and started to close my eyes. It didn't feel like Mystery Man was waking up any time soon and I definitely wasn't in any condition to get up myself. My eyes had just closed when I forced them back open.

Oh. My. God.

I stared at what my sluggish mind had taken its time to notice. I closed my eyes again—praying that what I was seeing was just a hangover-induced hallucination. I opened my eyes.

Damn. It was still there, mocking me.

I was officially a statistic. Good girl comes to Vegas, gets drunk, and marries a stranger. A tiny voice inside my mind pointed out that it might not be a stranger, but I wasn't sure if that would make it better or worse.

I really don't think this is what my friends meant when they told me to loosen up and have a little fun. That Vegas wasn't going to be as bad as I was thinking it was going to be.

How did this happen? And to _me_? I could only come up with one answer.

Fucking Jose Cuervo!


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**BPOV**

I studied the black-haired pixie in front of me, my eyes dropping a quick glance at the pile of luggage around her more than once. She had her 'I'm getting my way so stop whining like a little baby' look on her face. That face never boded well for me.

The pixie, Mary Alice Brandon (and don't you dare call her Mary Alice; she said it made her feel like a nun, and she'd sooner die than wear the same outfit for the rest of her life), was one of my three best friends. The two of us shared a townhouse with another of said best friends.

Alice was tiny, only four-foot-ten, extremely slender, and with short, spiky black hair and deep blue eyes. Her energy and excitement for, well, everything had no equal. Sometimes she put me in the mind of an excitable puppy. She was a fashion designer who had her own shop, Prophecy, where she sold all her works. It was extremely successful, as we all knew it would be. She was a little fashion genius.

"C'mon, Bella," she cajoled, switching seamlessly back to her innocent face and batting her eyelashes. "You said we'd do a girl's weekend. You promised."

I had promised and I had meant it, but… "But Vegas? I kind of thought we'd be sticking around Seattle." Why did we need to go over 800 miles away?

"It's the last big weekend of the summer," Rosalie piped up as she came up behind me. "We need to end the summer with a bang."

Meet Rosalie Hale, best friend and roommate number two. She was so beautiful she could have been a supermodel. Tall and curvy with long, honey blonde hair and the most amazing violet-blue eyes. Whereas Alice put me in the mind of an excitable puppy, Rose could put me in the mind of oleander; beautiful but deadly in the right circumstances. She had no problem speaking her mind in blunt, often harsh, terms. But to those who knew her best, she was the best friend a person could have. Though she could have been a model—had even had offers from several well-known agencies—she had decided to make her living with one of her greatest passions: automobiles. She was a huge car nut and owned her own garage—Rocky's, short for her mother's maiden name of Rochester—where she repaired cars others brought in and also restored old cars, making them new again. Despite her love of cars and playing the grease monkey, she was just as into fashion as Alice was.

How I, Isabella Swan, ended up best friends with two of the most beautiful, fashionable women ever to walk the planet was beyond me. I was no slouch in the looks department; I'm pretty enough with mahogany hair and wide, chocolate brown eyes and full lips, but when standing next to the two of them, I know exactly who's the odd one out. _One of these things just doesn't belong here,_ my inner voice sang out. I had little interest in fashion and preferred dressing comfortably in worn jeans and t-shirts (Alice said that every time I dress in one of my usual ensembles, a little piece of her soul dies), throwing on a hoodie if it was chilly. I was quiet and introverted, preferring nights at home to nights out on the town. I worked at a bookstore, translating my love of books into a career. What I really wanted was to be a published author, but nothing I'd written had been that spectacular.

I was really a rather boring person and I liked it that way. So when I say that Vegas was the exact opposite of me, I think the point was made.

"So we need to spend Labor Day weekend in the middle of a desert, surrounded by neon lights and gaudy costumes while getting drunk and gambling?"

"Well, if you really want to describe it that way," Alice piped up, "then yes."

"You're going to have a great time," Rose added. She moved to stand beside our small friend, presenting a united front.

How they thought I could actually have a great time in a city that is the epicenter of all things loud and obnoxious was beyond me. They had to be cracked.

"I have to work tomorrow and Saturday." I never thought I'd be so happy to have to work in my life. There was a solid argument, though my inner voice was speaking to me. _They have their ways. Knowing them they found someone to cover you._

They merely gave me a smug look as the front door opened, allowing a familiar head of blond hair to enter. _Traitor!_ my mind screamed. My argument had just been taken away, as my inner voice had warned in preparation.

Mike Newton, best friend number three and final member of our little quartet. We tended to refer to ourselves collectively as The Girls. Mike and I had known each other for nine years now. We went to high school together after I moved to the small town of Forks to live with my father mid-way through my freshman year. Mike and I had hit it off right away and even dated throughout most of high school.

There had been absolutely no romance between us; it was more like two friends hanging out. After I'd known him for a few weeks, I had come to realize that he was like two different people when in and out of school. It hadn't taken me much longer to learn that he was gayer than the Fourth of July. He hadn't wanted to come out of the closet in Small Town USA, not that I could blame him. Some of the people we went to school with were real idiots. So we came to the decision to "date" each other. He wouldn't have to come out of the closet and his secret would be protected while I wouldn't have to deal with the rest of the male students asking me out constantly (that was a pain). It was a win/win situation. We stopped dating once we left for the University of Washington in Seattle, which was where we'd met Rose and Alice. The rest, as they say, is history.

Mike was a very attractive man, in my opinion. Five foot eight with a muscular build that the girls—and a fair portion of the guys—love. His baby-fine blond hair—which he spiked when we first met—had grown out and become shaggy. And his eyes were a soulful silvery-grey. All put together, he was a very pretty package, and he knew just how to work it. He had guys fawning over him left and right. Every time I turned around he was in a new relationship, sometimes more than one. He never ceased to amaze me.

He was actually the one to originally coin the term The Girls in reference to the four of us. We had offered to let him live with us at the townhouse, but he had preferred to have his own place. Probably because of all the relationships (none of us needed to walk in on one of his booty calls). He was the manager at the bookstore I worked at and his presence here right now pretty much proved that he had shuffled shifts around to give us the weekend off.

Goody.

"Nothing I say is going to get me out of this, is it?" I questioned, more than a little bit of whine in my voice.

Mike snorted in laughter. He actually _snorted_! "Has anything ever dissuaded us when we have our minds set on something?"

_Damn it._ Reluctantly, I shook my head and pinned my three friends with a glare. "No. But I haven't even packed yet!"

Rose and Alice grinned. "Already done," Alice chirped.

"We packed for you while you were at the store this morning," Rose added.

A panicked expression quickly took the place of the resigned one that had been on my face just seconds before. "You what!?" I was going to have absolutely no comfortable, Bella-ish clothes to wear all weekend, was I?

"Don't throw start throwing a hissy, little girl," Mike snarked with a roll of his silvery eyes. "They made sure you would be comfortable, yet fashionable. We're going to Sin City, darling. There is no way we're going to have you embarrassing us by looking like a frumpy Midwestern housewife!"

I stared at him in mute surprise. Did he just call me frumpy?

"Come on!" Alice reached out her hand and wrapped my wrist in an iron grip. "We don't want to be late for our flight. You can bitch and moan on the plane."

She'd better not think that I won't! I rolled my eyes and followed behind her, stopping to help with the luggage. This was going to be the worst weekend of my life; I was sure of it.

* * *

**EPOV**

I put the last article of clothing in my suitcase and closed it up. Two of my best friends—one of them my brother—were taking me down to Las Vegas for one last blowout weekend until my second year of Med School started up. It had been my dream since childhood to follow in my father's footsteps and become a doctor; I was finally well on my way. I was at the top of my class and could probably manage to graduate a little early. Unless, of course, Emmett and Jasper decided to make this trip thing a yearly tradition and get in the way of my studying.

Emmett was my brother, older than me by a year. To those who didn't know him, he looked like a big bruiser. At six-foot-five with muscles even the most bulked out weightlifter would envy, he could be imposing. But it didn't take long knowing him and you quickly realized he was just a big teddy bear who liked to pretend he was an irritable grizzly. His brown hair was slightly curly and he had bright blue eyes, which he got from our mother, Esme.

His lifelong passion had always been cars—driving them, fixing them, building them, talking about them…anything and everything having to do with them—and was quite a prodigy when it came to them. He'd gone to school for mechanics and business and the moment he graduated—a year early—he'd opened up his own garage named Grizzly's. It was one of the two best garages in the whole of Seattle. The other was a place called Rocky's and, though Emmett had never met the owner, there was quite a rivalry going on between the two businesses. Sometimes he'd come over just to bitch about the other garage getting a little more publicity or something. Deep down I think he enjoyed the competition, but in true Emmett fashion, he refused to show it.

I was shorter than he was, just six-one. My hair was a bronze color inherited from my mother's side of the family while my green eyes came from my father, Carlisle; his were the exact same shade as mine. I supposed I was attractive, at least the bulk of the female population thought so. I didn't really pay any attention to that; I had other things on my mind than my own vanity. As long as I didn't make young children run in terror, I was content.

Emmett and I had met Jasper Whitlock in junior high after he'd moved to Seattle with his family from Texas. He was twenty-five, just like Emmett, and in the same grade, a year above me. He was tall—six-foot-three—and lean with shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes. He was the quiet and introspective sort and was very good at calming people down, which could often come in handy with someone as loud and boisterous as my brother.

Jasper had been a literature major—with a minor in history as he was fascinated with the Civil War era—and now worked as an editor for a local publishing house. I'd always thought he'd become some great author or poet or something, but it turned out he'd rather help others become that than do so himself.

I looked up as I heard the door to my bedroom open and smiled at the vision in the doorway.

"Now, I want you to have a good time this weekend. Behave for Emmett and Jasper."

Tanya McKinley. She had grown up with Emmett, myself, and, later, Jasper. We'd been best friends for as long as I can remember; and my girlfriend for at least half that long. When we were kids we'd been inseparable and our parents had always predicted that, one day, we'd get married. We'd began dating in junior high and had continued dating off and on up to this very day. We were "engaged to be engaged" and had plans to marry someday, after I'd finished my schooling. I didn't want to marry until I was able to fully provide for my family. And Tanya understands that; I never thought that she wouldn't.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her body to mine. I looked down into her blue-grey eyes and pressed my lips to hers. She was absolutely gorgeous; five-foot-eight with a body for days and wavy, strawberry blonde hair. She had been the most beautiful girl in our school; however clichéd it was to say, all the girls wanted to be her and all the boys wanted to date her. And I had her. I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else; she was my best friend.

"If I have to," I replied, sounding resigned as I rested my forehead against hers.

She, of course, caught the smirk twisting my lips and slapped me lightly on my shoulder. "I mean it. They only want you to have a good time. That's why they're doing this."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Yes, that's why they were taking me to Las Vegas. They wanted me to have a good time and weren't at all influenced by the gambling, strip clubs, and "All You Can Eat" buffets. "Yes. They're always looking out for me."

She didn't resist the eye roll. "Okay, they're a little skewed in the way they're doing it, but they mean well and you know it."

The thing was I did know it. They felt I worked to hard and didn't allow myself to have any fun at all. I couldn't help that I was focused on my goal and sometimes could forget about everything else. "Alright," I agreed, this time putting a little more feeling into it. "I'll try my best. But I'd have a lot more fun if you were coming with us."

Tanya had elected to stay home for the trip. She was an interior designer who worked at my mother's design firm and was set to meet with a new client on Tuesday. She wanted to spend the weekend working on some sketches to present to him. Apparently, he owned a chain of hotels and there was the chance that if he liked her work, Cullen Interiors could be gifted with the opportunity of designing for the entire chain. I understood her wish to focus on the new project. It was huge; even Esme was overjoyed at the prospect.

"That's all I can ask," she said as she pressed her lips to mine. "There's something else I'd like to talk to you about regarding your trip."

My brow furrowed as she began using her serious voice. I followed her as she pulled me to the bed and we sat. "This doesn't sound good."

She blinked at me a few times before shaking her head. "It's not bad, I promise."

I studied her face for a few moments before I ascertained that she was telling the truth. But as to where she was going with this, I had no idea.

"I have a feeling that this sounds better in my head, but I'm going to say it anyway, so please just bear with me." She waited for me to nod my head before going on. "There's a reason that Las Vegas has the motto of 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.' Sin City has a habit of making people do stupid things; I think it's the combination of desert, liquor, and neon lights. It makes people go a little nuts—"

"Nothing like that's going to happen to me," I assured her, interrupting her little speech. "Emmett, on the other hand…" If anyone on this trip was going to something a bit stupid, it would be him. He was the master of not thinking before he acted. Add alcohol into the mix and that was just trouble waiting to happen.

"Be that as it may," she continued with a slight shake of her head, "if something happens and you end up getting a little stupid…you have my permission."

Okay, I hadn't expected that. "Excuse me?"

"I knew this wasn't coming out right," she grumbled. "You know I love you, right?"

"Of course I do. Just like you know I love you." That just went without saying.

"And I want you to have fun on this trip, just like Emmett and Jasper. And I know that alcohol is going to be involved, whether you want it to or not. I just want you to know that you have my permission to get a little stupid and let loose some."

She squeezed my hands in hers and looked into my eyes. "Edward, you do have a tendency to be too serious. You could stand to allow yourself to have more fun. For one weekend at the very least. I want you to forget about everything this weekend and just have fun.

"I won't want you to wake up some day having regrets about all the wrong things. 'I do not regret the things I have done, but those I did not do.' I don't want that to be you, Edward, and unless you allow yourself a little amusement, it will be. At the end of our lives, when you're talking to our grandchildren and they ask you if you have any regrets, I want you to be able to say 'No. I regret nothing.'"

I looked at her silently for a few moments, stunned at her impassioned plea. I didn't think I was _that_ serious all the time. But was I? I removed my hands from hers and brought them up to cup her face, using my thumbs to wipe away the tears she was trying to keep at bay. "Alright, I promise," I whispered. "I'll try my hardest to have fun this weekend, even if it means I do something stupid."

"Thank you," she replied, pulling me into my arms, but not before giving me a blinding smile.

"You're welcome," I replied, holding her close. "It shouldn't be too hard. I'll just let Emmett do all my thinking for me."

She chuckled at my joke. "I don't think you need to go that far."

"EDWARD!! WE'VE GOTTA GO!!"

We pulled away as my brother's booming voice yelled at me. She stood and held out her hand for mine. "Come on, we don't want you to be late for your flight."

I grabbed my suitcase and followed her lead. This little vacation had suddenly turned into a personal project for me. I didn't want to do anything to upset Tanya, she was my best friend, my future wife, and I loved her. If she thought I was too serious about my life, then I would attempt to change that and have a bit more fun.

One thing was for certain: this was going to be an interesting weekend.


	3. Chapter 2

**First off, thank you all for the wonderful response to the story so far. I truly am surprised by how many people are a little irked that I have Tanya in here. All I have to say is please bear with me. All will be explained and resolved in time. Also, Gay Mike appears to be win.**

**And now for the real reason for the Author's Note: I just want to take a quick moment to point out that I've never been to Las Vegas and therefore have never been to the Bellagio. The suites I describe appear not to be real, but this is fiction so in the BiotC universe, they are. That's what's marvelous about fiction. I'll try to make as much as I can accurate, but don't be surprised if I end up talking out of my ass. A lot.**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**APOV**

We'd made it to the airport on time and with a minimum of bitching from Bella. The time it took to get there and boarded onto the plane had been spent with her pouting. Normally that would have driven me nuts, but I figured that any delay to her complaining was a good thing. It would just be so much easier if she could get over that aversion she had to having money spent on her. It probably wouldn't be so bad if Rose's, Mike's, and my families weren't loaded; she didn't mind anything that she could reciprocate in kind, such as a book or something small like that. But when it came to a multi-thousand dollar trip, she felt financially inferior. Perhaps we could work out a deal with her; if she doesn't bitch and accepts this trip with grace, we won't buy her anything ever again. It would be painful on my end—I love to shop, not only for myself but for everyone I love—but I'd do it if it would work.

The two hour and fifteen minute flight from SEATAC to McCarran, which Rose and I had anticipated suffering through Bella's whining (about not only the trip but also the fact that we were traveling first class), had instead been spent partly by planning out our weekend while Bella just 'hmm'ed throughout. I made a mental note to thank Mike for that somehow. It had been a brilliant move on his part to buy her a beautiful hardcover copy of _The Complete Works of Jane Austen_. She'd spent the entire time reading _Mansfield Park_, claiming that Fanny Price would soothe her and the dysfunctional Bertram family would take her mind off the torture she was about to endure.

_Maybe I'll buy Mike a sailor. A huge, muscle-y sailor with a tight uniform that showed off every flex and play of his body. Hell, maybe I'll buy us each a sailor so we could each unwrap our own like the most delectable bits of candy…_

The plane ride had been rather boring, actually, now that I thought back on it. I'd come up with so many contingencies to deal with Bella that I hadn't given any thought to what to do once she was accepting of what we were throwing at her. The planning of our itinerary hadn't taken too long to do, so I'd soon had nothing better to do than bounce up and down in my seat with excitement like a terrified Chihuahua.

It was Mike who had eventually alleviated my boredom when he came back from the airplane bathrooms. The final forty-five minutes of the flight had been spent listening to him gushing about the trio of hotties back in business class. He'd considered asking if any of them wanted to join him in the Mile High Club, but only the memory of the last time he'd tried joining that club had stopped him.

He'd met a hot guy on the flight—I think his name had been something like Tyson or Tyler or something. Felix! That was it—and they'd gone into the bathroom. They were just getting down to business when the plane encountered some turbulence. As if that weren't bad enough, the commotion had knocked them into the door, where the lock proceeded to break. They'd ended up tumbling into the hallway, pants down around their ankles…and at the feet of Felix's angry boyfriend, Demetri. According to Mike, he'd almost died of embarrassment. Then he'd almost died from Demetri's brick-wall-like fists. At least, that was how he'd told it. It was only a little black eye and it made him look macho!

Rose had gotten ticked off at his story. She'd been to the bathroom before Mike and hadn't noticed the trio, only overhearing some jackass speaking loudly about strippers, hookers, and having the best time ever in Las Vegas. It had only been her pride that had kept her from returning to Business Class to find and ogle some hot guys. She had quickly proceeded with the Spanish Inquisition, getting every little detail she could about the guys out of Mike. If it had been Bella or I who had mentioned the guys, she wouldn't have gotten so eager. But she and Mike's tastes in men were very similar; aesthetically, at least.

They had decided to team up and find the trio in Sin City and try to arrange a hookup. Step one was memorizing what they looked like so Mike helped her catalogue everything he knew about the Muscle Man, Blond God, and Bronze-Haired Babe. They really were whores for a pretty face and hot bod.

_Then again, aren't we all?_

I shook myself out of my thoughts as the cab pulled up in front of the beautiful Bellagio Las Vegas and prepared myself for a fresh onslaught of complaints from Bella. If there was one thing she hated, it was people spending money on her. Especially exorbitant amounts of money, such as the large suite Rose, Mike, and I had chipped in to rent. Four bedrooms and a central living room area. The four-night rental charge was large, but it was well worth it.

She waited until we were in the spacious lobby before she made her complaints known.

"You guys did _not_ get us rooms here." She was glaring at us.

"Before you start Bitch-Fest '08, you know you want to stay here," Rose pointed out, glaring right back. "We want you, and the rest of us, to have a good time so just keep your mouth shut and enjoy it. Don't you _dare_ ruin this weekend for us!"

And there was the Scary Rose voice. The same tone of voice that even the Devil himself wouldn't argue with for fear of being torn limb from limb. I decided to chime in as the good cop. "You know you've wanted to stay here since the first time you saw _Ocean's Eleven_. And now you get your chance!"

"Just enjoy it, sweetie," Mike added. "Who knows, maybe you'll find your very own Rusty or Danny here!" 'Oh, here we go,' I mentally groaned as his eyes glazed over. "Mmm…Brad- and George-esque guys. Yum. Maybe they'll be shirtless…and in speedos. And hot and sweaty and needing help with a not-so-little problem…And a Matt-esque guy could come in and help. Just imagine all that hotness."

I glanced over at Rose, who gave me the same look. We'd officially lost him to his fantasy orgy with the Pitt, the Clooney, and the Damon. He'd be no further help if Bella decided to push it. I opened my mouth to try and salvage the situation when Bella cut me off.

"Is there any way I'm going to be able to talk you guys out of this?"

"No, so just shut up and enjoy." I tempered Rose's blunt statement with a bright, happy smile.

"Fine," Bella finally relented, just as we knew she would. I had to admit to being surprised. She could be stubborn and I would have expected this to go on until sometime tomorrow. That she was being reasonable, for once, was cause for celebration.

Rose, Mike, and I had been planning this weekend for weeks. The where's and the when's hadn't taken too long to figure out; it was the how's that gave us troubles. It had been between Caesar's Palace and the Bellagio for where to place our reservations. To help Bella adjust to being the recipient of our money, we'd gone for the latter. She really had wanted to stay there since the first time she'd seen the 2001 casino heist movie. We'd decided that Labor Day weekend would be the perfect time. Both Rose and I could set our own hours and Mike had control of his and Bella's schedules, so we could all have the entire four-day weekend off. Informing Bella of the trip and getting her to Vegas with a minimum of fuss, was the 'how' portion of the plan and was, without a doubt, the hardest part. We'd probably never be allowed to do anything like this again, she'd put up too big of a fight and we just couldn't do this without her, so we were going to make the most of it.

It had been the most difficult thing in my life, keeping the trip secret from her. I was looking forward to the shopping. Vegas had some of the best shops in the world and I planned to spend a lot of quality time in them. Mike was most looking forward to the hot guys. I'm honestly not sure what Rose was looking forward to; probably just having fun at the nightclubs. We still had to come up with something that Bella was sure to enjoy, but I wasn't too terribly worried about that. This was Sin City and there was no limit to what we could do.

Ten minutes later, we were been checked in and the Bellboy was summoned to take us to our suite. Mid-way through check in, Mike had rejoined us in the land of the non-addlepated, though he was still a little glassy-eyed from his fantasy. I definitely needed to find him a sailor or some other hot guy to take care of his abundant hormones.

"Come on, girls, our suite awaits!" Rose said, handing us each our room keys. The Bellboy, who barely looked old enough to drive, was staring at her as though he were a man dying of thirst and she was a nice, cool glass of water. Another one bit the dust; and she wasn't even aware of the effect she had on him. I wondered how many she'd have this weekend; especially when she really got herself dolled up.

Glancing toward Mike and Bella, I met his eyes with an amused look. Bella wasn't even paying attention, amusing herself with staring off into space dreamily. I _knew_ she really wanted to be here.

I hadn't taken even three steps before I heard a thud closely followed by a loud laugh from across the lobby and turned back around. There was Bella, sprawled out on the floor, having tripped over her own suitcase. In all his staring at our blonde friend, the Bellboy had forgotten a bag.

The Bellboy blushed and quickly put her bag on the cart with the rest of them as Bella pulled herself up, her face beet-red. "Sorry," she mumbled and held up her hands. "I'm fine."

I glanced over to see what her attention had been on, but didn't see anything. Just the backs of four men, one of them a bellboy, getting into an elevator; the doors closed on them before they turned around. I stared at the elevator silently for a few moments, feeling as though I had just missed something huge but not knowing what it was. It caused a sense of sadness in me, incomprehensible as it was to be sad over nothing.

"Oh, Alice! Pixie, dear!" Mike called in a sing-song voice. "Are you coming or what?"

I glanced back ahead, seeing that the others had all started toward the elevators. "Yeah, sorry," I replied distractedly. What the hell had just happened?

Giving the elevator one last longing glance, I followed after them. _I wonder if those are Mike's hotties…_ The part of me feeling the loss of whatever I'd missed was the part that hoped I'd run into the trio again. There was just something about them…

* * *

**EPOV**

I followed the Bellboy and my friends into the room, glad to finally be in our three-bedroom suite. I couldn't deny that Emmett and Jasper had gone all out on this little trip; though I had to wonder how much was for me and how much of it was for them.

It was my hope that Emmett and Jasper would hold off on the 'festivities' until tomorrow. I needed silence after that plane ride. Two and a quarter hours of my brother yapping non-stop. It had been a mistake to inform them of the conversation Tanya and I had and the promise I made to her. My brother had gone on and on about how she was the best girlfriend ever and that he was going to make 'damn sure' that I followed through with the promise. I had the feeling that he wouldn't be happy unless I went home with some STD or something.

Partway through the flight the conversation had, thankfully, changed, though it was still just as annoying. I hadn't been paying attention, focusing mainly on tuning out my brother's loud voice, but apparently the 'hottest woman in the universe' was on the flight with us, just through the curtains in First Class. Emmett had gone on to describe the statuesque blonde in minute detail and explain just what he'd like to do with her. I swear half the things he described had to be illegal in some states. Though considering our destination, it was probably all legal there.

It was at times like that when I admired Jasper the most. I'm not sure how he did it, but he could tolerate my brother even when he was at his crudest. He bore it all and exuded nothing but an air of calm. And it wasn't just my brother he could do that with; he could do it with anyone, the most annoying and exasperating people on the face of the planet. I could try for years to emulate and gain his unflappability, but I'd still never come close. He'd merely continued to read a hopeful-author's manuscript and made the correct comments where he was supposed to and let Emmett talk himself out. It was truly astounding.

I flopped down onto the couch in the main room with a happy sigh, letting the others take care of the Bellboy. It was like I was finally able to relax, though I knew this might very well be my last chance for that until we got home on Monday. Even if it was, I'd enjoy it to its fullest.

I closed my eyes and could see again the scene from the Bellagio's lobby. We'd had to wait for the elevators and while we did, Emmett, Jasper, and the Bellboy began a conversation about the city's hottest nightclubs. I had occupied my time by people watching and ended up watching a group of four people; three women and a man.

In truth, I hadn't really watched the entire group, just the one woman. I'd been too far away to make out every detail, but she was petite with beautiful mahogany hair and pale peaches and cream skin. Her expression had led me to believe that she was about as happy to be in Las Vegas as I was. This didn't seem to be her cup of tea, either.

Then she looked up and looked at me. Her eyes were dark and I assumed they were a chocolate brown color, though I'd have to be closer to tell for certain. Even with the whole of the lobby separating us, I could see the delicate blush that had stained her cheeks. Her friends called for her attention as they started coming toward the elevators; toward me.

I winced then as she tripped over a suitcase that had been left at her feet and she hit the floor with a thud. Beside me, Emmett laughed and I could see the woman's face turn beet-red from embarrassment. I turned a glare at my brother and hissed, "Shut up! It's not funny!"

The elevator finally dinged and we got into the car; by the time I'd turned around, the doors had already slid shut, blocking the brunette from my vision. I hoped I'd be able to find her later and apologize for my brother's insensitivity. Little was funnier to him than people falling down. Sometimes I wondered how we could be related to one another.

"Edward, Edward, Edward," Emmett said as I felt the couch dip down next to me. His tone of voice was amused with just a hint of patronization. "We just can't take you anywhere, can we?"

I mentally groaned and opened my eyes to look at him, my gaze soon turning to Jasper as he spoke. "You just can't help it, can you? Dazzling poor girls in the lobby."

_What in the world are they talking about?_

"I know I've said before that girls fall all over themselves over you, but I never meant it literally," my bear-like brother continued with a chuckle.

"I thought the point of this weekend was for me to have fun," I sighed. "I don't think you two picking on some poor girl really qualifies."

"You really don't realize the effect you have on the fairer sex, do you?" Jasper questioned, looking at me with his blue eyes.

"Yeah, they're slaves to your pretty little face," Emmett laughed.

They'd been saying things like that for years, but I didn't really believe it. I really wasn't anything special and my looks did not incite scores or groupies. I'm sure I would have noticed anything like that happening. It was just a coincidence that the pretty brunette had been looking in our direction when she tripped. "First of all, that's not true. And, second of all, that girl from the lobby could very well have been looking at either of you. After all, it's not often you see someone who could give Andre the Giant a run for his money."

Emmett gave Jasper a plaintive look. "The poor boy just doesn't understand his own power. It's a crying shame."

I closed my eyes in disgust and attempted to block out my brother's teasing voice. Again I saw the brunette from the lobby and I felt confused. _Why had she made such an impression? Was it only because of my friends' teasing? Or was there something more?_

I quickly pushed that thought aside; it was ludicrous. I was just thinking about it, and her, so much because of the teasing and because I felt sorry for the way that Emmett laughed at her. It was uncalled for. Yes, I would definitely have to see if I could run into her sometime this weekend and apologize.

"You'll never guess who I saw checking in while we were in the lobby," Emmett's loud, proud voice burst into my thoughts. He paused for less than a second before continuing, "The hot blonde from the plane."

I groaned softly. Were we going to have to hear about her yet again? _Wasn't his speech on the plane enough for one day?_

"Groan all you want, little brother, but she is hot! Even you would wanna hit that if you saw her."

"I don't think so, Emmett," Jasper replied for me. I opened my eyes to silently thank him, but swallowed that thought as soon as it appeared. His smirk meant nothing good for me. "He was too busy ogling her friend."

"That's right; they did arrive together, didn't they? Maybe the three of us could set something up with them…"

"Don't forget the blond guy who was with them," I quickly pointed out, wanting to avoid this discussion altogether. "He could very well be the boyfriend to any one of them. I'm not sure about you, but having a jealous boyfriend giving us the evil eye isn't exactly my idea of a good time."

I was relieved to see the expression of annoyance come over his face as he was forced to consider the prospect of Blondie having a man already. And, though I knew I was going to end up regretting this, I changed the subject; I knew I'd end up regretting the current conversation a bit more. Nothing was more annoying than a pouting Emmett. "So what's on the agenda for tonight?"

I was rewarded—or was that punished?—with my brother's wide grin. "Jasper mentioned taking the night off and not doing anything tonight, but where's the fun in that? We're going clubbing and there's nothing you two can say that will stop us!"

_Yep. There's that feeling of regret I was expecting._

* * *

**MPOV**

"What do you mean, 'We're not going anywhere'?"

I looked at the girls, completely flabbergasted. How could they say anything so heinous? This was our first night in Sin City! Of course we had to go out and have some fun. Noticing Bella's expression of relief, I turned a glare on her. How dare she look so happy when all my happy plans for tonight were in shambles down around me!

"Exactly like it sounds, Mike," Rosalie replied with a roll of her eyes. "We're not going out tonight."

"But _why_?"

My question was met with three peeved looks and I forced myself to turn my eyes to my feet. Alright, maybe there was a little too much whine in that question. I'd ended up sounding like a bratty child who couldn't understand why he couldn't have ice cream for dinner.

"Because, Mikey-boy," Alice patiently answered, ignoring my wince at that nickname, "you need to look at this from our perspectives. We've worked the majority of the day then got on a flight to come here. And it takes us a while to get ready for a night on the town and it's something we'd prefer to be well-rested for."

"You know that's the reason why we came up tonight and not tomorrow," Rose added, managing to sound both bored and irritated at the same time. It was a knack that was entirely her own. "That way we can start this vacation off nice and fresh."

I turned my pleading gaze to Bella, though I knew I was barking up the wrong tree. "Don't look at me, sweetie," she immediately replied as she continued looking over the book I'd given her earlier. "I'm happy to postpone this torture as long as I can."

"But I want to find the hotties from the plane!" I really needed to work on not whining like a pansy.

"_However_," my darling friend continued, ignoring my interruption, "that's not to say that you can't go out and do whatever you want. Just because we're staying in doesn't mean you have to. Besides, can't you get more tail without three women tagging along?"

Huh. Why hadn't I considered that option? _Probably because the overriding theme of this weekend is one long extended Girl's Night Out,_ my inner voice supplied in its best 'duh' tone.

"That's a great idea, Bella," Alice chirped with a wide grin. "Mike can be our recon man, out there getting the lay of the land."

"Laying the men would be more appropriate, I think," Rose smirked at me. "Go on; see if you can locate the three hot men in question in a city with a population of over half-a-million residents and countless more tourists and bring us back all the juicy details."

"You want it, you got it," I replied happily and went off to my room to change for a night on the town.

Fifteen minutes later I was heading toward the main door of our suite and waving goodbye to the girls, ignoring Bella's call of, "And remember: No glove, no love!" I'd done my research on the best clubs in city and one of them, The Bank, just happened to be in the Bellagio, and that was my destination for the night.

An hour and a handful of drinks later, I spotted them. The Three Hotties from the plane. The club lights and night-attire only made them look more delicious and I think I'd kill to taste any one of them. The largest of the three had curly brown hair and the most amazing dimples; and let's not forget the muscles. Good lord, he'd make even the most devout lesbian think twice. The next tallest was the blonde with blue eyes and the grin that could speed up anyone's heart-rate. At the very least. Then the third member of the trio; reddish-brown hair that was set in such charming disarray—it brought to mind visions of long nights spent in bed and countless orgasms—and the brightest green eyes I think I've ever seen.

Damn, these men just couldn't be human. They had to be Greek Gods come down to cavort with us mere mortals. I briefly considered calling the Girls and telling them to get their hot little butts down here to see the hotness…but I wanted these guys all to myself. I finished off the drink in my hand and walked straight to their table.

I waited for them to look at me before speaking, "Congratulations! You three have just been voted 'Most Beautiful Trio in This Room' and the grand prize is a night with me! Shall we go somewhere more private?"

The line was met with silence as they looked at me in what had to be shock. And it didn't look like the good kind, either. _Oh, shit…what have I done? Please don't have them be prejudiced rednecks!_

Finally the bronze god was able to gather himself enough to speak and his voice was like angels singing; it was the most glorious thing I've ever heard. "I'm sorry; I think you're getting the wrong idea about us. I'm sure you're a nice guy and everything, but we're all straight."

"Damn; isn't that always the way?" I replied simply before flashing them a grin and walking away.

_The Girls are never going to let you live this down._


	4. Chapter 3

**Here's the next chapter—which includes the first meeting of one of our couples—which is also the first of the smut chapters. What can I say? They got away from me. Enjoy!**

**And don't forget to share with me any ideas you may have of things you'd like to see in the story (I think I have enough wishes of Tanya's death, however). How would you like J/A and E/B to meet? Any specific scenes or situations you want them to be in? I'm always here to listen.**

**Also, as always, there are links up for this chapter in my profile.**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**RPOV**

This was the life. It really was. Sleeping in as late as you wanted, going to the spa for a good pampering, and then laying out by the pool with a nice lemon daiquiri in your hand. I could certainly get used to life in Las Vegas.

Of course, if I lived here, I'd probably have to have a job which would really cut into the pampered life.

I guess I'd just have to indulge myself while I could.

We, The Girls, had all spent the morning at the spa being pampered to within an inch of our lives before Alice dragged Bella out for an afternoon of shopping. It was only years worth of experience that kept her from fighting the little shopaholic. When Alice wanted to take you shopping, nothing you could say or do would get you out of it. I sometimes doubted even death could stop the little pixie from dragging you along. Bella was a favorite target of our friend's, mostly because she didn't care anything about shopping or fashion. Alice was determined to change her outlook, which I highly doubted would work, but if that was how Alice had her fun, so be it.

That left me with Mike and it hadn't taken long for us to hit the pool and scope guys. When we'd arrived poolside, there weren't many others there, but Mike had immediately spotted a prospect for him and they'd been flirting with one another for the past hour. Until more prospects popped up for me, I'd decided to spend my time tanning and relaxing.

Preferably with brightly-colored, frosty fruity drinks in one hand and the latest issue of _Vogue Italia_ in the other.

As I sipped on my daiquiri, I studied the editorial photos, making note of which spreads to show Alice. She needed to keep an eye on the competition; I was sure she'd be gracing the glossy pages of this magazine someday.

I lifted my glass to my lips and frowned as it came up empty. Setting the magazine to the side, I looked up through the tinted lenses of my sunglasses and looked around. The pool area had begun to fill up a bit more. That meant that it was time to scope out the hotties once again and see if there were any contenders for the prize on _The Dating Game: Rosalie Edition_.

I spotted Mike still flirting with someone who looked almost exactly like him but with darker features…if he could get the guy to bleach his hair it'd be like he was flirting with himself. And potentially sleeping with himself which, as Alice, Bella, and I learned one drunken night, was a dream that he'd once had and enjoyed very much. And people thought I was narcissistic.

My eyes wandered, pausing on each guy to catalogue his attributes, skipping over those with women or those that just didn't appeal to me. I studied one guy: tall, blond, cornflower blue eyes, all around poster boy for the All American Male from one of the higher social strata's. Pretty package but something about him gave me the creeps so I quickly moved on. I'd located a couple more potential guys when I spotted them; when I spotted _him_.

Images immediately inundated my mind of the two of us together.

He looked at me, an expression of lust deep in his eyes, as he stalked toward me. He matched me step for step as I moved backward until my back hit the wall. He was the hunter and I was the prey and a shudder of the most delicious anticipation ran down my spine. I wanted him to catch me and lavish all his attention and pleasures on me.

His movements were slow and deliberate; his eyes locked upon mine, a smirk quirking his beautiful lips. They told of every dirty, sensual act he wanted to commit to me, with me. Wet heat gathered between my thighs along with a hollow ache that no amount of friction could appease. Not on my own, anyway.

Just out of arm's reach, he stopped and a moan escaped my throat. I wanted him closer, his hard body pressed intimately against mine. I wanted his heat to seep into my body, warming me inside and out. Reaching my arm out, I leaned forward to touch him.

"No," he ordered with a shake of his head. His deep, forceful voice thrilled me and forced me to do as he said. I lowered my arm and leaned my weight against the wall, allowing it to prop me up. "Good girl."

The approval and heat in his voice made it hard for me to stay there, wanting nothing more than to touch him and draw him to me.

"Take off your shirt," he continued, "slowly."

I brought my hands up to the buttons holding the front of my shirt closed and did as he asked. I slipped each disc through its respective hole, spreading the fabric as I went. His eyes followed my progress, raking over my torso as I revealed more skin. Leaning away from the wall, I slipped the fabric over my shoulders and down my arms to pool on the floor at my feet.

I could practically feel his eyes as they moved over me, almost as though they were an extension of his hands.

"Now your pants." My hands went to the button holding them closed then to the zipper, slowly slipping it down tooth by tooth. I shimmied my hips, slowly pushing the fabric down over my hips and legs. I stepped out of them and kicked them to the side. Standing in front of him, clad only in my lingerie was a seductively erotic sensation and I clenched my thighs together against the throbbing, hollow ache that would only go away once he was inside me.

I could tell that he liked what he saw, his hard cock was visibly straining against the fabric of his own denim jeans and I couldn't wait to see what it looked like when it was bared to me.

His eyes devoured me, from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes, and he made me feel as though I was the only woman on the planet. "Bra now," he commanded, a hint of anticipation leaking into his voice.

I complied, lifting my hands and unhooking the satiny fabric. I slowly slid the straps down my arms, taking my time in pulling the cups away from my achingly aroused breasts and letting it flutter to the ground alongside the rest of my discarded clothing.

"Beautiful," I heard him breathe under his breath—I don't think he meant for me to hear it—and my breath caught in my throat. The praise curved my lips into a smile as I watched him through my eyelashes. Louder, he spoke, "I want to watch you touch yourself."

Quirking an eyebrow at his command, I softly drew my hands up my thighs, over my panties and up over my flat stomach. His hot, piercing eyes followed my movements as I brought my fingers up to circle my puckered nipples and trail over the rise of creamy flesh.

He growled softly as I teased him and myself before I let one hand deviate from its movements back down my stomach to slide just under the satin of my La Perla, brushing lightly over the skin of my mound.

I kept my eyes glued to him as I allowed my fingers to delve further, through my curls and lower over my wet, silky lips. His eyes remained locked on the movement of my fingers beneath the fiery fabric, his heavy breathing matching my own.

My fingers slid through my slit, trailing from my clit to my wanting entrance and back again. My hips moved against my hand, completely out of my control as they sought something to fill the emptiness. Something that only he could give. I slid a long finger into myself, my breath hitching as I did. My head fell back against the wall as I added another finger, my thumb playing over my hard bundle of nerves.

I crept closer to my peak and my hips sped up their involuntary movements. My breath came in pants and I softly whimpered and moaned each time my thumb swept over my clit. My eyes closed of their own volition and I mourned the loss of the picture he presented, wild lust twisting his features.

I heard his groan moments before I felt his hands curling over the blue strings holding my panties on my hips and pulled the fabric down my legs. His hot breath blew over my moist skin, sending a shiver of sensation up my spine.

A hard, hot hand clasped over my wrist and pulled my hand away from myself. I whimpered at the loss, the whimper turning into a moan as I felt his lips replace my fingers. His lips, his tongue…they felt better than anything I'd ever felt before and I felt a fresh flood of desire course through me.

My knees shook and felt weak as I felt a long, thick finger entered me, filling me better than my own fingers ever could. His teeth scraped over my clit, dragging a strangled moan from me. I could hear his moans as he savored my taste. A second finger joined the first and I was gone with a cry, flying as my body splintered into a million and one pleasured pieces. I could feel his fingers drawing out the release as his mouth and tongue lapped up my juices.

I opened my eyes, reality once again greeting my violet-blue eyes and I glanced over at him once again.

_And everyone thinks Alice is the one with the active imagination._

_He_ was my ultimate fantasy man; physically, at least. He was sitting, so I couldn't be sure, but I felt he was taller than me. I'd estimate his height at over six feet. His body, dear lord his body! His shirt was off so I could easily see his muscular form. I had a thing for muscle-men and, were I able to specify my perfect build, it would be his. His curly brown hair was short, yet a little shaggy, and thick. Even from across the courtyard, I could see that his eyes were a bright, vivid blue. He had a gorgeous face, which his wide smile made look boyish due to the deepest set of dimples I think I'd ever seen.

This was definitely lust at first sight and I couldn't help licking my lips as I watched him. He made my mouth water at the very thought of tasting all that lightly tanned, muscular skin. _That man is positively humptastic…and I want him to hump me like there's no tomorrow._

He was sitting and laughing with two others and seeing them together brought about a sense of vague familiarity. I studied his companions.

The one sitting to his right appeared to be an inch or two shorter than him. He had shaggy blond hair and a lean build. I couldn't clearly distinguish the color of his eyes, but I thought they could be a darker blue than Mr. Fantasy's. He was as handsome as his friend, though certainly not my type. I could see a thick book sitting on his lap as he read, apparently he was able to multi-task, both reading and conversing at the same time.

_If I can hook things up with Mr. Big and Brawny, I should introduce Blondie to Bella. I think he's just her type._

I turned my eyes to the one sitting on the other side of the blond. He seemed to be the shortest of them, though still only by a few inches. He had a shock of messy hair that was an odd reddish-brown shade, almost bronze. He had striking green eyes and a handsome, angular face. I thought I could detect some resemblance between him and B&B which led me to believe that they were somehow related.

_He and Alice would make a cute couple…I could try and set them up, too._

And then it hit me. They were familiar because I'd heard a description of them. A very detailed description. They had to be the trio that Mike had seen and gushed about on the plane, then ran into again last night at The Bank. A soft chuckle escaped my throat at that thought.

At the spa this morning Mike had told us that he'd run into the Plane Gods again and then told us the story, in all its embarrassing glory. It was just so…_Mike_ that he'd hit on three absolute strangers and invite them to bed without even the exchange of names. I do have to say that they'd let him down rather easily compared to what I would've done had that happened to me. Then again, shock could have tempered their response. It wasn't every day some hot guy walked up to you and invited you and your two friends for some naked frolicking.

I watched as Mike—his Flirting Buddy gone—walked past the trio to the bar to get himself a drink. They looked at him and he gave them his suave, flirtatious smile, the one that was usually accompanied by thoughts of stripping the recipient bare before they got to some pretty kinky acts. They acknowledged him, but didn't respond in any other way, probably not wanting to risk another lame come on.

McMuscles—_Rose, what is with all these nicknames you keep giving this guy?_—and his friends were on my way to the bar and I needed a refill anyway. It was time to implement phase one of the plan to get that man into my bed: ascertaining his interest. If I were Alice, I'd probably have some name for it like 'Operation: Get Buck Ass Naked.'

I set my magazine aside and stood from the lounge chair, brushing my hair back behind my shoulders as I did. Grasping my empty drink glass in my hand, I sauntered across the courtyard, past the trio, and to the bar, using my most seductive walk. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched the blue-eyed hottie as I passed, concealing a smile as he watched me pass. Yes, he was interested.

_He shall be mine; oh, yes, he _will_ be mine._

I ordered another lemon daiquiri and returned to my lounge chair, surreptitiously watching my man as I did. He couldn't keep his eyes off me. He was hooked. It had now shifted into phase two of the plan: making contact. I would wait for him to come to me, but if a considerable time went by and he still hadn't grown a pair, I'd go to him. Then it would be time for phase three: ascertain how much I liked the guy in return. Was he just a pretty face and hot bod? Or was there potential of things working out for the long-term? He was on the same flight as I was, so he had to be from around the Seattle-Tacoma area.

It was my dream to find a hot, intelligent guy who could see past my exterior and realize that I was more than just a pretty face. Most just saw me and considered me a stereotypical dumb blonde, a piece of arm candy. I wasted little time on those men, only occasionally opting for a one night stand if he was especially hot. There'd been a few contenders for my dream man, but they'd been unable to handle me. I could be a bitch at times and more than a little bossy, wanting things my way. Eventually I would find that man who could deal with all that. If it was the last thing I ever did, I'd find him.

I took a sip from my daiquiri and turned back to the magazine, silently counting off the minutes and seconds in my mind as I waited for him to come to heel. I glanced up and located Mike, he was back on the other side of the pool with another buff guy hanging on his every word. _I really must put a word 'manwhore' in to the _Oxford English Dictionary_ and have them put a picture of Mike next to it._

Five minutes passed, then ten, and still he didn't come. _Time to be a little encouraging,_ I thought and glanced up toward where he and his friends had been seated.

The blonde had left and the bronze one was in the pool, swimming laps like a pro. _He_ was sitting all alone, his eyes on me, and I gave him what I called my "aloof, come hither" smile. Interested, but not too interested. I'd be damned before I allowed myself to appear desperate. No man was worth that.

Before turning back to my magazine, I saw a smile curve his lips. It wouldn't be long now, thankfully. Whether he turned out to be a keeper or not, I knew I just had to have him at least once and make my fantasy come true.

A few short minutes later I heard someone sit down in the lounge chair next to my own. I looked out the corner of my eye and it was him. Finally.

"Hello there. I'm a thief and I'm here to steal your heart," I heard his deep voice—so very much like the one in my fantasy—say in a seductive tone.

I looked up and met his beautiful, blue eyes.

* * *

**EmPOV**

I could get used to this. If only I could live a life of leisure like all those celebutantes and heirs to vast fortunes. I would spend all night—every night—partying and sleep in as late as I wanted every morning. And the hours in between? Whatever I damn well felt like. That was the life.

But, of course, my life back home wasn't too bad, either. I was extremely good looking and could have any girl I want with very little effort on my part. I had a loving family—as smaltzy as that sounds to say aloud—who would support me no matter what. And I had enough money to live pretty well. I had one of the two best garages in Seattle.

_Fucking Rocky! Coming up out of nowhere and trying to beat me and Grizzly's as the best garage in the city. Who does he think he is, anyway?_

Shaking my head, I tossed that thought out of my mind. This was my vacation and I had some of my best workers on call this weekend for any emergency that might come up. Rocky's was probably closed—_Pansy!_—allowing me to rake up all the benefits.

Instead, I focused my mind on the lovely city of Las Vegas, where sin resided. And boy did I love it here! Well, except for that blond guy who hit on us last night. That had been interesting. Had he really thought that line was going to work on us? And, more importantly, did he really think that any of us were gay? I may spend a lot of time at the gym, but I'm very interested in the females of the human species. Such as his hot blonde friend from the plane.

It had been lust at first sight, and I'd seen her the moment she'd walked through the curtain cordoning off first class from business class. I'd hoped to grab her attention, but she'd steadfastly ignored me. Or maybe she just hadn't noticed. Either way, she hadn't noticed me while in the business section.

I'd tried—multiple times—to sneak up into first class to introduce myself, but those flight attendants were freakin' Nazis, man! They had to be mind readers. It had gotten to the point where if I even thought of making a break for it, they appeared to block the way. One of the flight attendants—a small woman with thick, curly dark hair who called herself Jessica—had been especially vigilant. Of course, she'd been hinting to Edward, Jasper, and myself that she was open for business and certainly wouldn't turn any of us down, so she was probably keeping an eye on all of us to see if we'd join her in the Mile High Club. She was hot, but _way_ too desperate for me.

Yesterday evening I'd seen the Goddess in the lobby and considered picking her up then, but to tell the truth, she was looking a little scary just then as she dealt with her friends—one of them the klutzy one that Edward had dazzled—and checking them all in. But knowing that we were staying in the same hotel had helped and I was determined to run into her at some point this weekend.

Edward, Jasper, and I had decided to come relax by the pool for a while. Jasper was going to continue to read the manuscript he'd brought along—_Seriously…who brings _work_ along on a _vacation_?_—while Edward, on the swim team back in high school, wanted to swim a few laps. That left me adding more mental snapshots to my mental catalogue of hotness. What was better than tanned female bodies in skimpy little swimsuits?

And there she was, sitting in a lounge chair just down the courtyard from us. She was even more glorious in the sunshine. Her bright, golden hair brushed her shoulders and I wanted to just comb my fingers through the silken mass. She was wearing a blood red bikini that showed off her flat stomach and those breasts that would make even gay men stand up and take notice. Oversized sunglasses hid her eyes as she read a thick magazine.

_Look up, look up, look up! Notice me!_ But she didn't.

"Could you be any creepier?" Edward asked as he gestured toward my Goddess with his head.

"I'm not creepy," I retorted with a smirk. "I'm just a connoisseur of women…and she's so far above the rest."

"I agree with Edward." Big surprise there. _Not._ "It is a little creepy. Especially considering you've been talking of little else since you first saw her on the plane. Just go talk to her already!"

"I will. I'm biding my time." I noticed a figure coming toward us. "Uh-oh…incoming. Foursome guy coming straight at us."

The shaggy haired blond from last night walked past our chairs and toward the bar, winking at us as he went. Wow, he was certainly persistent. I wondered why he wasn't sitting with his hot friend. He passed us again on his way back to his seat. _Oh, that's why. Some beefy guy is flirting with him._

I looked up and noticed her walking this way, taking the longer route to the bar and making sure to walk past us. _Oh, hell yes!_ My eyes remained glued on her as she proceeded with the sexiest strut I think I've ever seen in my life and…_I think I've died and gone to heaven._ Her nipples, easily shown by the fabric of her bikini top, were standing erect. I was instantly hard as a rock.

She appeared to be trying her best not to look at any of us, though I knew that she was definitely paying attention. I'd noticed her looking our way—no, looking _my_ way—and licking her lips. She'd liked what she'd seen and her attempts at aloofness were amusing to me. With her renewed drink in hand, she retraced her steps then settled herself back in her chair.

I knew she was waiting for me to come to her and I decided to have a little fun with her and make her wait for it. Or, better yet, make her come to me. _Come to me, you gorgeous woman. You know you want to…_

"I think I'm going to return to the suite," Jasper said as he got out of his chair. "Then I'll probably head into the casino; see if I can get lucky."

Edward quickly cut me off before I could respond to that choice morsel of wording. "I think I'm going to do a few laps. And you," he said, turning to look at me, "just go talk to her. I think she might like games just as much as you do."

I pouted at him. "I'm doing just fine on my own."

"Whatever."

Jasper shook his head, his blonde hair swaying with the movement. "I have to get out of here. The lust between you two is making me nauseous. It's way too strong."

I looked at him with a furrowed eyebrow and pushed away the urge to roll my eyes. He always claimed to be more susceptible to people's emotions than the average person and it did seem to be true. Then again, it could just be because his parents were psychiatrists. "It's at a very acceptable level, thank you very much."

"Then what's with that pitched tent you're trying to hide?" Edward questioned with a laugh.

With that, they both left me alone, and I silently cursed them for their astute observations and Emmett Jr.'s stubborn insistence on standing tall and proud. I returned my attention to my Goddess in Red and tried to communicate with her telepathically, telling her she wanted to come to me. She wanted to crawl on my lap and press her warm breasts into my chest…

Five minutes. Nothing.

I continued watching her; the way the sun highlighted the spun gold of her hair, the way her arm would flex as she turned a page, the way she'd lick her lips after taking a sip of her daiquiri. She uncrossed her legs at the ankle, spreading her thighs slightly, allowing me a peek at the scrap of red fabric covering her mound. She recrossed her ankles, blocking the image as quickly as it had been revealed.

I closed my eyes and groaned softly. I had to have her just as I had to have my next breath of oxygen. The force of my feelings, the force of this lust, stymied me. I'd never felt its equal before and I wondered if there was something in this city that made people act out of character. Perhaps there was something in the water. I opened my eyes again.

She reached up and pulled a hand through her hair. Her fingers were long and slim and I wanted to know what they'd feel like tangled in my hair as I dragged my lips and tongue down her body and buried my lips in her center. I yearned to hear her gasps and moans of pleasure as I sucked the desire from her body.

Ten minutes. Nothing.

Then she looked up and smiled this "Come and Get Me" smile. Screw this. She won. I was going over there. I just really hoped she was more than a gorgeous package. I'd had enough brainless twits to last me a lifetime.

I sat down in the lounge next to her and hit her with my best, sexiest grin. "Hello there. I'm a thief and I'm here to steal your heart," I greeted in my most seductive voice.

She looked up at me, appraising me silently for a few interminably long moments. "Are you kidding me?"

_Say what now?_

She removed her sunglasses, revealing the most beautiful pair of violet-blue eyes. "Is that the best you have? Because that was really lame. I'd expected better from you."

"I'll have you know that line's gotten me a lot of play," I replied, my voice wavering between humor and defensiveness.

"Let me guess. From the Bimbo Barbie set?"

She'd certainly hit the nail on the head there. I was starting to get the feeling that I was entering uncharted territory. Never before had I met a woman who not only didn't fall for my charm but also met me with that much…brunt force, I guess was the best word for it. And it turned me on more than I'd ever thought it could. "I'm Emmett."

She scanned me once again with her eyes and then a smile curved her full, luscious lips and I felt myself, impossibly, become even harder. What the hell was with my body? Why wouldn't it calm down? I'd never had these problems before. Though I was hiding my…condition from her, I had the feeling she knew what that traitorous E.J. was doing and thinking. Did she do this to everyone?

"Rosalie," she finally introduced herself, seeming to find in me something that was worth her time. "So tell me, can you do better than that cheese you offered up or am I destined for disappointment?"

What was wrong with that line? It was gold! Okay, yes, it was a little cheesy, but who cared when it worked. "Baby, I can do so much better than that. I'm sure I can blow your mind."

Her eyelids dropped half-way and that agile pink tongue caressed her lips again. "I'm looking forward to it." Her voice was husky and filled with lustful anticipation. I felt ready to explode.

Faster than I've ever moved before, my hand shot out and caressed the back of her neck, drawing her closer to me. A scant quarter of an inch separated our lips when I paused, wanting to savor this moment, my first taste of the Golden Goddess before me. I traced her lips with my tongue, her breath hitching as I did so and her eyes fluttering shut. I stifled a groan; she tasted of lemons and something indefinable, something that could only be describe as Rosalie, sweet and tart and so fuckgood I wanted to spontaneously combust from the orgiastic delight of it. I had to taste more and fused my lips to hers, my tongue exploring the hot cavern of her mouth.

Emmett Jr. twitched in my shorts as more of her essence hit my taste buds. This kiss…it was so much better than I'd been anticipating since I first saw her on the plane. A million and one times better than the many and varied fantasies I'd indulged in over the previous night and this morning.

And then I growled into her mouth, convinced I'd just died and gone to heaven.

Her hot hand had moved to my lap, exuding her warmth into E.J. She knew what she was doing as she stroked him, uncaring of the fact that she was beating me off in public. I wanted to stop her and take her somewhere private and devote the entire afternoon and much of the night to our shared desire, but E.J. was in charge and refused to entertain the thought of her surprisingly strong hand moving away from him for even a moment. But if she didn't stop, I was going to end up embarrassing myself in public. And worse, in front of her.

"Baby, if you don't stop, I'm going to blow it right here," I murmured into her mouth and I felt her smile.

She trailed her lips over my jaw and up to my ear. "I know," she breathed and I emitted a strangled groan. She knew just what she was doing and wanted to make damn sure she finished it.

_Damn, that's hot!_

Her tongue traced the shell of my ear and I was gone. I rested my head on her shoulder as my orgasm overtook me and I fought to not cry out and alert the people around us as to our clandestine actions. I don't know if it was the location or because it was _her_, but that was the single best climax of my entire life.

I fought to catch my breath as I recovered and looked into her very self-satisfied face. She got off on that! _I think I'm in love._ She was the most amazing woman ever created. My nickname for her was more apropos than I'd thought.

"That was amazing," I panted, already looking forward to repaying the favor. I wanted to make her scream. But my anticipation faded into confusion as she stood and began gathering her things. "Where are you going?"

"The day is young and I have things to do," she responded nonchalantly.

Hadn't I affected her at all? Was I just some toy to her?

"I'm looking forward to seeing if you really do have a better line," she continued, sending my heart jumping once again. "I have reservations at Fix for seven-thirty. If you and your friends don't join us, I'll take it as a sign that you aren't as good as you appear to be." Then she left without waiting for a response.

A wide grin spread my face. _We'll be there, alright. There's not a chance in Hell that I'm missing this!_


	5. Chapter 4

**I know next to nothing about Roulette. I did some research, but it was all Greek to me so if I got anything wrong…writer's prerogative. However, I didn't get into any in-depth dealings with the game so I doubt it will be an issue. Also, math is not my strong suit. Except for one class in high school, I was a straight D student in math. So my limited knowledge of both betting and math may mean I did something wrong, but this is fiction so let's pretend I'm not a complete dunce.**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**APOV**

"Red nineteen!" the croupier called out as I cheered and bounced in my seat. I'd chosen yet another winner. This game was fun.

I knew next to nothing about roulette. In fact, I knew next to nothing about gambling, but this one had appeared easy enough to play. You just chose a number, color, or range of numbers and hoped for the best.

And the best was happening to me.

My chips now totaled a little over ten thousand, a vast improvement from the thousand I started off with. If anyone had ever told me, even just three hours ago, that I would soon find something that would give me a bigger high than shopping did, I would've had them committed to a mental institution. What, other than sex, could be better than shopping?

The answer was gambling, though it still didn't beat sex. I didn't think I could handle anything like Texas Hold 'Em, Bella's current game of choice, but roulette was easy enough to get the hang of. I'd always had good instincts and trusted my gut to tell me the right choice and my intuition hadn't failed me.

The croupier passed me my chips and those I'd won and I stacked them into a number of neat and tidy piles. I looked over the table and found my eyes drawn to the black four. Counting out a quarter of my chips, I placed them there.

Others chose multiple numbers, placed their chips between two, or chose some of the broader bets, but not me. I was confident in my bets and my uncanny intuition. I did notice that a few of the betters that had been at the table with me for a while had started to follow my lead, realizing that I had yet to lose a bet. They were backing the winning horse.

"No more bets," the croupier called out clearly before setting the wheel and ball spinning.

This was turning out to be one of the best days in my life. A few hours at the spa, a few hours of designer shopping, and now a few hours replenishing my bank account after said spree. Just because I was a fashion designer in my own right it didn't mean that I didn't love to shop and support other designers.

Bella had put up much less of a fuss than I'd expected, especially after her recent brattiness regarding this vacation. The fact that I had bribed her with a few hours spent in the Bellagio Casino so she could say she played Hold 'Em in a world renowned casino couldn't have hurt. She wasn't anywhere near being a pro, but she was still pretty good at it. It was just too bad that the World Series of Poker wasn't being held right now. All we would've had to do was mention the possibility of meeting Daniel Negreanu or Hevad Khan and she'd have been a perfect angel.

With the promise of a few hours of uninterrupted poker time, she had behaved perfectly during our shopping expedition and I was able to buy her—and myself—a few cute ensembles. I just wish I could get her to do what I wanted as easily the other three hundred sixty-four days out of the year.

"Black four!" the croupier called out again, causing me to squeal again.

I was hot!

One of the gamblers next to me vacated his seat, having lost the last of his chips. I shook my head sadly. He should have followed my lead. If he had, he wouldn't be walking away with nothing right now.

"Excuse me, miss, is this seat taken?" a man with a light Texan drawl questioned.

I looked up with a smile and shook my head. "It is now. Have a seat."

He was a very attractive man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and some scruffy facial hair. If it weren't for the fact that this was Las Vegas and we were meeting in a casino, he would, without a doubt, be on my list of 'Men I could get to know further for soulmate compatibility.' I had such a list, though it was a short one. Men got crossed off there almost as quickly as they got on there. Right now it consisted only of Johnny Depp, Zachary Quinto, and Lee Pace and fate had yet to throw me in any of their paths. I almost considered putting him on the list anyway, but the two aforementioned reasons were enough to keep him off.

I was only visiting the city and for all I knew he was as well. Wherever he was from, the odds of him being from the Seattle-Tacoma area were slim and the odds of a long distance relationship working out were even slimmer. Then there was the casino…did I really want to hitch my wagon to a man I met in a casino? For all I knew, he was a gambling addict! The only thing I wanted my future husband to be addicted to was me.

"Thank you," he said with a smile as he settled himself into the chair, setting his single, yet not unimpressive, stack of chips in front of him. "I'm Jasper."

I reached out and took his hand, shaking it firmly. "Alice. Welcome to the table."

"Place your bets!"

Once again, I eyed the table critically for a few moments then placed the corrected quarter of my chips onto red twenty-three. I watched as Jasper placed his chips in a split bet between ten and eleven and shook my head.

"Jazz, sweetie, you don't want to do that," I informed him as he met my eyes with his own. _Damn, those are some gorgeous optic organs. I think I could get lost in there. Too bad about the circumstances._

"I don't?" he questioned, sounding amused. "And why not?"

"You really don't. Move your bet to twenty-three. Trust me; I have a feeling."

"You might want to listen to her, pal," a chunky main in a garish Hawaiian shirt commented from across the table. "She's on a streak."

"Thank you, Steve." I flashed him a bright smile. He was one of the gamblers who had taken to following my lead, earning himself a nice payday.

"Then I suppose I'd better do as the lady says," Jasper commented, shifting his chips over to join my own.

"No more bets!" The wheel was spun and the marble was rolled and we all waited with baited breath. "Red twenty-three!"

The winnings were handed out and I beamed at Jasper as he spoke. "I suppose I should thank you for your advice. I'd be down a handsome sum right now."

"Don't mention it," I brushed off his gratitude. No one deserved to go home empty-handed. Even if he was a consummate gambler. "I told you, I had a feeling and my feelings are never wrong."

A silent man in a suit came up to stand beside the croupier, observing the game. He was wearing a name tag, so I figured he worked here, probably helping keep an eye out for any cheating.

"Place your bets!"

"What do you suggest now?" he questioned, motioning to the number grid on the table.

"Hmm…" I considered the table then set my chips on the red seven. It was practically screaming at me. "Go there."

He did as I instructed, a lazy smile on his lips. "Do your feelings count only toward roulette or are they broader than that?"

"They're broader than that, I suppose," I answered with a shrug of my slim shoulders. "I don't know; I just always listen to my gut. My instincts have yet to lead me wrong." It wasn't really something I could easily explain. It was what it was.

"I'm glad you can depend on them," he then commented, sounding as though he really meant it. As though it was a matter of my safety and I was in good hands. It just struck me as a bit odd.

"No more bets!" The tell-tale sound of the marble spinning in its tracks met our ears and we turned back to the wheel. "Red seven!"

The winnings were handed out once again and Jasper wrapped an arm around me in a side hug. And it felt _good_. Better than any other hug I'd had in my life. I'd be lying if I said it hadn't scared me a little. I couldn't deny there was a bit of a connection there between us…I gave myself a mental shake. _You're reading too much into it, Alice! He's just happy your instincts held up under scrutiny. He was conveying his gratitude._

The call for bets was made again. If the red seven had screamed at me, it was nothing compared to what the green zero was doing now. It was the equivalent of midnight on New Year's Eve, complete with boisterous shouting, noisemakers, and confetti. I knew what my instincts were telling me to do, but did I want to do that? I was nearing fifteen-thousand in chips…I counted my stacks. Fourteen thousand, eight hundred seventy-five exactly. With a payout of thirty-five to one…

"Well?" Jasper was looking at me with appraising eyes, wondering what I'd do now.

I looked up at the croupier and his suited friend. "Let it ride on zero!" If I had any faith at all in my instincts, I had to go for it. I pushed the stacks onto my choice, looking and sounding more confident than I felt.

The entire table had gone silent as they stared at me in shock. Jasper was doing the same, though there was impressed respect in his eyes right along with concern. "Are you sure you want to do that?" he questioned quietly. "That's a lot of chips."

"My instincts have yet to lead me astray," I reminded him, and, if I was being honest, myself, looking back at the table. I had to have faith that now wouldn't be the first time.

"No more bets!"

"Weren't you going to bet?" I questioned Jasper, realizing that he hadn't placed any. No one else had followed my bet on the zero, I was there alone. This would either end very, very well with thirty-five to one odds, or I would crash and burn in the most devastating manner possible.

"No, I think I'm going to sit this one out," he replied, placing his warm hand on my back and moving it in soothing circles. For some inexplicable reason, his touch served to calm me, fending back the creeping anxiety over my ballsy bet.

The wheel was spun and the metal ball made its counter-spin. I think I held my breath the entire time the two pieces of equipment were doing their dance. My eyes closed; I just couldn't watch. Listening to it was bad enough. Then the ball landed and there was silence for what seemed like hours, but couldn't have been more than a few mere moments.

"Zero!"

The table broke into cheers and my eyes snapped open, my breath leaving my lungs in a whoosh. What? I quickly did the math in my head and felt like passing out. Five hundred twenty thousand, six hundred twenty-five dollars in chips.

Over a half-million dollars.

An impossibly large amount of chips were pushed toward me and I couldn't believe it.

"What's next, sweet-cheeks?" Steve's voice sounded fuzzy as it met my ears.

I struggled to focus my eyes on the table. The red fourteen was a mere whisper of what the zero had been. I was done betting for myself, but I may as well advise the rest of the players. "Red fourteen," I commented as I stood. I needed a drink. Badly.

"You're not playing anymore?" Jasper questioned, though the look in his eyes said he understood my decision. You just couldn't top that risk and, really, why tempt fate even if you did have impeccable instincts?

"Nah, I think I'm done for the day. But good luck. I hope you do well." I lifted his hand and pressed a kiss to the center of his palm. As I turned away, I heard the croupier call out red fourteen.

* * *

**JPOV**

I collected my winnings, not getting the same satisfaction as I had the past couple times they'd been handed over to me once fourteen won. I knew it was because Alice wasn't sitting next to me.

She was a cute little package the likes of which you didn't see every day. Everything about her was distinctly Alice and couldn't be carried off as well in such a combination by anyone else. And her instincts…they were something. I'd actually been watching the roulette game for a while before I joined in. In the time I'd been watching, I'd clearly seen that she'd been on a hot streak, never losing a bet. And she hadn't let the confidence get to her, causing her to bet it all.

I didn't know what it was, but something about her drew me in. I'd initially intended on hitting the blackjack table, but her squeal of delight as she won a roll had stopped me in my tracks and, once a seat next to her opened up, had me sitting down next to her. Roulette wasn't really my thing, but I'd been content just sitting in her presence.

The pit boss was subtly motioned over to our table shortly after I sat down. It was obvious that he was keeping an eye on Alice. You couldn't win that often without attracting attention. I'd felt my protective instincts rising up, knowing that Alice wasn't the type of girl to cheat. She was too genuine and honest for that.

We'd chatted a little, she told me where to bet and I'd followed her lead. Then she'd gotten an intense expression on her face as she stared at the table then bet all her chips. I knew she believed in her instincts, and I believed in them as well, but I hadn't wanted to see her devastation if the risk didn't pay off. But it had paid off and I think I was happier for her than anyone else.

And I couldn't blame her for wanting to take the chips and run. I could tell she'd been in a little bit of shock. Just because you believed in your instincts didn't mean you couldn't get nervous about betting a huge amount of chips.

I looked up and noticed that the Pit Boss was leaving the table, following Alice as she made her way across the room. A frown twisted my lips and I picked up my chips and moved away from the table. Instinctively I knew Alice could handle herself, but I knew the Pit Boss was going to hassle her despite having nothing on her. I could tell by the look on his face and in his eyes. He was perturbed that someone had gotten so much out of the house and he couldn't figure out how because the odds were stacked in the house's favor.

My eyes remained fixed on the duo as the Pit Boss easily caught up to Alice. She could barely be five feet tall and his legs had a longer stride than hers. I could see her wide eyes as he questioned her about cheating and it sent a lance of pain through my chest. There was no artifice in her tiny little body; that the Pit Boss was even alluding to the fact that she'd cheated completely blew her away.

I couldn't stand back and let her take care of this herself. My heart couldn't take it. Later, I'd stop and wonder why I was reacting this way toward a person I'd just met and would probably never see again, but right now all I wanted to do was save her.

"I'm just lucky," Alice was saying as I drew within earshot. "I wouldn't even begin to know how to cheat! My instincts told me where to place my bets and I did it. They've never led me wrong before."

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" he responded, his voice as gruff as his exterior made him appear to be. "I've been working here a long time and there ain't no one that lucky."

Alice looked insulted and so I butted in. "Sir, I think you and I both know that she wasn't cheating. Look at her; how could she cheat?"

"Who're you? Her accomplice? She gets pinned and you swoop down to save her?"

"I'm just someone who was watching her play longer than you were and I swear to God that she really is that lucky." I remained looking at the Pit Boss, but I could see from the corner of my eye that Alice was looking at me like I was her own personal hero. It made me want to jump with joy. "There was no possible way she could have been cheating, and I think you know that and just don't want to admit it."

"What makes you such an expert?" His belligerent attitude was starting to bother me, but getting worked up would do my little pixie no good at all.

"I'm not an expert, but I saw the exact same thing as you did. It's hard to believe, but she really is that lucky." I sighed then gave him my best cajoling smile which I learned from Emmett, the man who could charm anyone to get what he wanted. "Look, I know you're just doing your job and you're doing it very well. Someone wins half a million bucks and you need to check them out to see if they're on the level. But you and I both know that unless she's discovered some foolproof method to bilk the Bellagio out of a huge amount of cash, which is unlikely, she's touched by the hand of God."

He looked steadily into my eyes for a minute before blinking and shaking his head. I had him; he was letting Alice off. He looked at our companion. "You're free to go, but I don't want to see you anywhere near the Roulette tables again. You understand me?"

"I understand, Mr. Pit Bull—"

"Boss," I corrected her in a whisper.

"—Boss, sir," she continued, holding her hand up as though she was swearing on a bible.

Her enthusiastic earnestness seemed to knock away any vestiges of the Pit Boss's arguments. "Good." He turned on his heel and left, leaving the two of us alone.

"Thank you so much, Jasper." She turned those big blue eyes on me and I felt as though I could happily drown in their depths.

For the first time, I think I could understand Emmett's insistence on gushing about the blonde from the plane. I'm fairly certain that I could spend the next hundred years waxing poetic about this woman and not tire of the subject. "Don't mention it. Any idiot could see that you don't have a single cheating bone in your body."

"Even so, you're still my hero." She threw her arms around me and she felt so good I never wanted to let her go. "I don't know how I'll ever thank you enough."

I could hear her chips clack against each other in the box the casino had given her to carry them in and I realized that she was on her way to cash them in and then she'd leave. I didn't want that. "Hey, if you really want to thank me, why don't you let me buy you a cup of coffee?" It was probably the single best idea I'd ever had in my life.

She appraised me for a moment and then nodded her head. "I'd like that. But let's cash these in first then tell my friend where I'm going. She's over playing poker."

I watched as she ran over to tell her friend—_Why does she look familiar? _Then it hit me, she was the girl from the lobby yesterday and I felt a flash of hope that I would get to see her again—where she was going. The brunette girl gave me a look and I knew she was deciding whether or not her friend would be in any danger so I waved. Apparently deciding I was harmless enough she waved back and sent Alice back to me. Back to where I always wanted her to be.

A short time later we'd cashed out and were heading out of the Casino. "So, I was thinking we could go over to Palio." I'd heard nothing but good things about their coffee and pastries. But I think the biggest plus to going there was that it wasn't that far away, still in the massive Bellagio building.

"I was hoping I'd get to go there before my friends and I left." She was practically bouncing with energy and I wondered how her little body could contain it all. On anyone else it would probably be annoying, but on her it was endearing.

"Now you'll get your wish," I told her, wondering what other wishes of hers I could make come true. "Where are you visiting from?" I questioned as we entered Palio and got in line. I was praying that she was from Washington and that she really had been on the same flight as us.

"Seattle, Washington," she replied, looking up at me.

I could feel my entire face brighten at that news. "So am I. What a small world." We reached the front of the line and we each ordered a drink and a pastry then found a vacant table to sit at. "What is it you do there?"

"I'm a fashion designer," she replied brightly after taking a sip of the frothy drink she'd ordered. "I own Prophecy, my own boutique. It does pretty well. I'm starting to make a name for myself and getting some national attention. I've wanted to have my own line for as long as I can remember and now I'm living my dream."

I could hear the contentment and happiness in her voice as she spoke about her life and I knew more than ever that I wanted to be a part of her life, even if just as a friend. It was suddenly very essential to my survival. "I'm glad you're happy and you're getting what you want. I can honestly say that no one deserves happiness more than you."

A soft smile graced her lips and she looked more beautiful than any angel up in heaven. "You are so sweet." She reached forward and curled her fingers around mine. Our intertwined fingers were a perfect fit. "But what about you? What do you do in Seattle?"

"I'm an editor for a small publishing company that just started up in the past couple of years. It's still growing, but I love it there." I didn't feel I was very interesting; I was much more interested in her. "My friends always thought I'd be the writer, but I enjoy helping others more. There are so many others out there more capable of writing than I."

"I think it's more important to be truly happy with your job than constantly wonder what if. I suppose we're just lucky that we've settled into our dream jobs so early," she commented optimistically.

"That's so true," I responded. "Why don't you tell me more about yourself?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Whatever you want to tell me." Anything she wanted to tell me, no matter how big or small.

"I will on one condition. You tell me just as much about yourself."

I smiled and nodded; it was little price to pay to get to know her better. I settled myself in and prepared myself to spend a couple of the happiest hours I've ever spent on this planet learning more about the woman I was beginning to think I couldn't live without.


	6. Chapter 5

**Here's what y'all have wanted for so long: Edward and Bella meet. It is also the dinner that Rose and Emmett set up. Links to the girls' dresses are in my profile.**

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**Chapter Five**

**BPOV**

I dutifully sat still in one of the large suite bathrooms as Rose and Alice played makeover with my hair. It was something they never got tired of. And something I could never get out of, so I'd learned to give in with as much grace as I could. Right now it was absolute torture, when I took into account the reason for this primping.

Logically, I knew I'd have to spend every night getting glammed up; or as The Girls called it, getting Club Ready. They could state it however they wanted, I always ended up the same way: shoved into something uncomfortable and forced to sit still for hours while they did my hair and makeup and I prayed that the deathtraps they called shoes wouldn't cause me to fall down and break my neck.

After the morning's activities, which I had termed 'Getting Bella To Lose Her Mind' Parts One and Two, I had been able to spend a couple hours in the Bellagio's casino fulfilling one of my dreams: playing a real Vegas game of Texas Hold 'Em. I wasn't the best player out there, I was more a dabbler than anything, but I had still walked away a winner. Alice, my casino buddy, had as well, though her payday was much larger than mine. Fifty times mine, actually. I gave it a week before it was all spent on new clothes and accessories. Mine would go into my savings account to collect interest until I figured out something to spend it on. I was always more cautious with my money than Alice.

She'd left with some blond guy she'd met at the roulette table. I couldn't be sure, but I thought he might be one of the guys with the gorgeous bronze-haired guy I'd been staring at in the lobby yesterday. I'd actually been too enthralled with him to pay much attention to his friends.

"You'd better not be making me look like The Nanny," I cautioned, a bit of snark in my voice at the thought of Alice and Rose applying too much makeup to my face and too much volume to my hair.

Alice and I had met up at the door to our suite, me from the casino and her from her impromptu coffee date, only to enter the main living area that joined all four of the bedrooms and see Rose with our clothing strewn all around the room. In between the matching of viable dinner outfits, we were eventually able to find out that our stunning blonde friend had made contact with a hot buff guy named Emmett and she had invited him and his friends to dinner with us. Therefore, we had to dress up and play Mystery Date.

"Bella!" Alice exclaimed in an affronted voice.

"Please. Don't insult us," Rosalie added with a sneer, playfully tugging on a tendril of my hair. "This isn't our first time at the rodeo."

"I almost wish I was going to dinner with you," Mike said, his tone holding a hint of wistfulness.

"So why don't you?" There was no disguising the hope in my voice. It was no secret that I hated blind dates. They never turned out well for me, though my friends were always content to keep plugging away in the hopes of finding me a winner.

Mike had recognized the vague description of Rose's dates as his Plane Hotties. "Let's see…dinner with three drop dead gorgeous man-hunks who already turned me down for some deliciously naughty bedroom romps and my three best friends or a chance of exploring all manner of man-love with a suitably hot guy with muscles for days?" He pretended to mull the answer over. "I think I'm going for the option that will get me laid at the end of the night. Thanks anyways."

"Mike…you are such a whore," Alice giggled, though no offense was meant by it. It was true and our little gay friend readily admitted to it. He was a manslut.

"I'm not _a_ whore, dearie. I'm _the_ whore," he joked back.

Sometimes I _really_ wondered how I ended up with these three as my best friends. Times like right now.

"And one last spritz of hairspray and we are done," Rose murmured to me before stepping back and allowing me to look at my reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of the door.

I had to admit that my friends could work wonders. The dress they'd selected for me—one of Alice's designs—was a light pink collection of tiers created from concentric circles. It was a bit shorter than I normally wore, but not as short as what The Girls normally tried to force me into. Sexy, but not over the top and in your face as Alice and Rose tended to prefer for themselves. And, surprise of surprises, it was actually comfortable. They had forgone the usual deathtrap shoes somewhat, settling for a compromise with me by pairing them with a pair of sandals with a relatively small two-inch heel. While I'd still have to be careful not to trip in them, I didn't fear for my life as well as any poor soul unfortunate enough to be taken down with me when I fell.

They'd left my hair down, but had created large, loose curls, giving my normally straight locks some waviness. My makeup was subtle as I liked it, but a bit more amped up than usual. For once they had actually listened to my usual requests and tried to work with them.

There had to be something in the water here. Was it magic, miracle Vegas water?

"Wow," I breathed, taking in my reflection. "I look good."

"Have you two ever noticed how she always sounds surprised after she says that?" Mike questioned lightly.

"That's because she never sees herself clearly," Rose shrugged. "Now you two go play while Alice and I get ourselves ready."

"And don't get yourself all messy, Bella," Alice added as though I were a five year old child who was going to sneak out to play in the mud in her pristine white flower girl dress. "I don't want to have to fix you up all over again."

"Yes, mother," I replied with a snort as Mike and I headed back out to the common room.

"Come on," Mike cut in, tugging my hand. "Let's see if we can find the gay porn on the television."

An hour later Mike and I were relaxing on the couch watching the impossibly cheesy porno we'd managed to find. I'm honestly not sure how he did it, but he had always been able to talk me into watching skin flicks with him.

"Oh, that can_not_ be comfortable!" I commented in shock as I watched something that not even a masochist could possibly find pleasurable.

"What the hell are you two watching?" Alice chirped, the clacking of her heels on the hard floors announcing her and Rose's arrivals.

"Bad gay fetish porn from what appears to be the eighties," Mike replied without looking away from the screen.

A loud whip crack could be heard from on screen and all of us jump and our eyes just about bug out of our heads.

"Turn it off!" the shortest among us ordered as Rose settled in between Mike and myself to watch.

"Wait. This looks interesting," she responded with her eyes glued to the screen. A few moments—and two irritated Alice huffs—later, she spoke again. "This would be so much better with popcorn."

I turned from the screen as I noticed our own personal pixie rummaging around the room, looking for the remote control to the television. She spotted it on the coffee table and made a grab for it, only to be beaten there by Rosalie, who promptly raised it over her head and stood, thereby keeping it far out of Alice's reach.

That didn't stop the pixie, however, who jumped as high as she could to try and grab it out of our friend's hand. She always missed it, but it didn't stop her from trying.

_How does she not fall over in those stiletto nightmares she has strapped to her feet?_

"Damn it, Rose! Give me the clicker!"

"Will you two shut up? I'm trying to watch porn, here!" Mike called out.

I had the feeling that pretty soon this was going to turn into an all-out brawl. Rose and Alice fighting over the remote while Mike yelled at them and ranted about not being able to watch porn. I had to stop it before it began and, though I was in no hurry to speed up the evening and the almost certain torture waiting for me, I knew only one method that would work.

"What time did you say the reservation was for, Rose?" I questioned, my voice easily carrying over the din of arguing girls and bad porn instrumentals.

"Seven-thirty. Why? What time is it?" She immediately turned her attention to me while passing the remote to Mike. Since most attention was taken off the porno, Alice didn't feel the need to lunge for it.

"Seven. How long do you think it will take to make our way down to Fix?"

"Why didn't you tell me it was getting so late? I want to get there before Emmett and the guys!"

Alice snorted. "You were pretty busy with the man-on-man action, that's why!" The two immediately went to the nearest mirror to make sure their little tussle hadn't done any irreparable damage.

Rosalie was wearing a beautiful sunshine yellow strapless dress that fit her like a second skin. I knew that, after hearing about their earlier exploits, Emmett was going to fall all over himself at the image she presented. She was practically oozing sex. She'd gathered her thick, blonde hair into a ponytail behind her left ear, allowing the length to cascade over her left shoulder. Her makeup could be described as nothing short of Rosalie: bold and seductive. Emmett truly wasn't going to know what hit him. A pair of heeled, strappy sandals were firmly affixed to her feet.

Alice's spiky black hair was still such, but she had styled it more softly, it appeared. It could almost be described as curly and it looked fabulous on her and worked wonderfully with her dress. The black halter-dress with dark red polkadots was very Alice. With a wide black band around her waist and a skirt that flared out to mid-thigh, she looked both sweet and sexy. Her makeup was smoky and nothing less than impeccable.

Together, they looked like a pair of supermodels. With the job they'd done on me, I didn't think I'd feel _too_ out of place next to them. At least I had the knowledge that I wasn't a complete troll.

_Wait…what am I thinking? I'm being forced to go on a blind date with the friend of someone Rose met today! It's not as if I actually want to impress him!_

"Come on, Bella. Let's get down to dinner!" Alice was bright and happy again, now that the porn fight was over.

_Even her footsteps sound perky,_ I thought, listening to the clacking of her heels. I truly had no idea how she did it.

Shaking my head, I looked back at Mike. "You have your own date tonight, you know."

"I know, sweetie," he replied, not taking his eyes off the screen. "I'll be getting ready after you guys leave. This is just about at the end, anyway."

"Alright, then. But remember: No glove, no love!" I heard his laughter as I closed the suite door behind me and joined our grinning friends. "Let's get this over with, ladies."

"You know it's not going to be that bad," Rose stated with a roll of her eyes as she led the way to the elevators.

"Rose. It's a blind date with the friends of a guy you jacked off by the pool. You know nothing about any of them. For all we know, they're complete pervs!"

"They seemed decent enough, Isabella," she replied, ignoring Alice's amused grin. "They were hot at least."

"Just because a person looks hot, it doesn't mean they are perfect," I stubbornly argued. I wasn't the One Night Stand type of girl. Yes, I'd had some, but I much preferred a relationship over the fuck and run. "This dinner date doesn't really matter to Alice, 'cause she's already met her Vegas man, but—"

"Hey!" Alice cut in, sounding annoyed. "You don't need to say it like that. I met Jasper in a casino! The future daddy to my future babies will _not_ be a gambler, thank you very much. He's just a cool, hot, funny guy I met and had coffee with. We're just friends! Besides, he doesn't see me that way."

I snorted and her eyes narrowed at me. "I saw him while you were telling me what happened and, believe me, he was crushing on you."

"He was not!"

I sighed and let it drop. If Alice wanted to be oblivious, then I'd let her remain that way. When this Jasper character was shoving his tongue down her throat would be soon enough for her to admit I was right.

As caught up in our conversation as I was, I hadn't noticed that we had already neared Fix, one of the Bellagio's many restaurants. It was casual sort of place and I was surprised that Rose had picked it. It wasn't that she was against casual restaurants and the like, but I had honestly expected her to plan extravagant plans for meals that involved menus where no item was under a hundred dollars. This was Las Vegas, after all, center of glitz and glam. It was right up Rose's alley. Thankfully, though, she had chosen a restaurant with American food; which would also probably help the guys feel at ease. Burgers could make anyone feel more at ease.

Walking straight up to the host, Rose smiled at him. "We have reservations for six at seven-thirty. The name is Hale."

The handsome, yet nondescript, man looked over the book and found her name. "Yes, miss. Right this way."

"Thank you," she said as we began following him to our table near the back of the restaurant, situated for privacy. "The other three members of our party will be here soon. They will ask for me as Rosalie. You can show them right in."

The host accepted the twenty she passed him then nodded as though he got this request multiple times a day. "Yes, miss," he agreed readily then retreated back to his podium.

I sat down in one of the chairs and looked at Rose. "This Emmett guy doesn't even know what name the reservations are under?"

"It kind of slipped my mind, you know," she defended herself; acting for all the world as though this was a common occurrence. "I made the reservations weeks ago. It wasn't until I was adding a couple more people to the reservation when I remembered."

I groaned and dropped my head into my hands. This was an omen; it had to be. And it certainly couldn't be a good one.

* * *

**EmPOV**

"So let me get this straight. You're setting me up on a date?" Edward's voice was skeptical, as though he thought I was a complete idiot.

"You've got that right, Dr. Seuss," I responded, causing Jasper to cover up a laugh with a cough. "And it's not really a date so much as dinner with a woman I'm really into and two of her friends."

"And that's different from a date…how?"

"It's just dinner! It doesn't have to be a date unless you want it to be. You need to eat, don't you?" Seriously, he just had to make this more difficult than it needed to be. Tanya had given him the go ahead, but he was still too uptight to have any fun.

Sometimes I wondered if he was adopted because I just couldn't understand how we could be related. I lived for the moment, never afraid to take a chance or try something new. I was fun! But Edward…he thought everything out beforehand, he never took chances or tried something new unless he'd weighed the pros and cons, did hours of research, and slept on the decision first. He wasn't always fun. Yes, he could be at times, but the point was that he never loosened up enough to have any!

"Edward, just give in," Jasper reasoned. "He's not going to let either of us skip it. I'm not viewing this as a date; this is doing a favor for your overly horny brother."

I rolled my eyes at him. I had not intended on having to argue with him over this dinner. How was I supposed to know he'd go to the casino and fall head over heels for some roulette babe? He hadn't really wanted to attend the dinner, but he'd agreed anyway because he was my friend. Okay, there was also his hope that one of Rosalie's friends was his roulette girl, so he was willing enough to go along with this dinner for that chance. So why couldn't my brother do the same? Wasn't he the one who'd said he wanted to apologize to the clumsy girl?

"Besides, if you do it he might actually shut up about the blonde."

"Rosalie," I corrected instantly. Then I continued, "He's right, you know. You don't cooperate nicely and I'll talk about her non-stop for the next six months."

The familiar, irritated expression came over his face before it was replaced with smug amusement. "She invited you, and us, to join her at Fix because she had reservations, right?"

"Yes," I answered, not sure where he was going with this.

"I'm assuming the reservations are in her name. Her _full_ name. And you only know her first. You go up to the host and ask for Rosalie and what do you think will happen?"

Well, shit. I hadn't thought of that! "I think she will have made arrangements," I said, floundering for a response. "And if she didn't, we can always get some help from our friend: Mr. Benjamin Franklin!" Not many could resist a few Benjamins being slipped to them.

"You're going to bribe some poor person? Possibly losing them their job?"

He already knew the answer so I didn't respond, only pinning him with my best 'duh' look. And he knew he didn't have a leg to stand on here. There was no way I was letting my little brother win. Especially since my darling Rosalie might not play nice if I don't bring both of them along to this dinner.

There was no way in hell I was going to let my little brother cockblock me!

"Shut up and go get dressed!" I snapped, knowing he was out of arguments.

He had resigned himself to going, as I knew he eventually would. You whine and bitch enough and you could get him to do just about anything. This wasn't illegal or morally wrong, so he would give in with grace. Well, as much grace as he could when he was annoyed.

I sat down in one of the comfy chairs that decorated our suite's main room. I still had to select the perfect pick up line to attract my Rosie. She had deemed my earlier line too lame, so I really had to examine all the lines in my repertoire. What would she like?

Edward re-entered the room in a simple button-down shirt and jeans. Nice, but not like he was trying. "Come on, let's go," he said in an extremely peevish voice.

I knew him well enough to know that he needed to get all his frustration out now and, by the time we arrived at the restaurant and he was meeting the girls, he'd be a perfect gentleman. "What, now?" I questioned.

"Yes. Didn't you say the reservations were at seven-thirty?"

"Yes."

"Dude, it's a quarter after seven," Jasper informed me and I whipped my head around to the nearest clock that, for a moment, I thought I might have gotten whiplash.

Sure enough, it was later than I'd thought. And I still hadn't chosen the right line. Damn it! "Then we'd better get our asses in gear," I beamed at them as I led the way out of the room and to the elevators.

Jasper and Edward chatted the whole way while I wracked my brain for what I was going to say to Rose. Sweet? Sexy? Funny? Or was she just yanking my chain and really did like the cheese?

We arrived at Fix just after seven-thirty and I still didn't know what to say. Warring with the panic was the desire to see Rose again. _Screw it,_ I finally decided. _I'll just open my mouth and see what comes out._

The Host looked at us expectantly as we approached and I hit him with my most 'upstanding gentleman' smile. "Hello, we're here to meet a few lovely ladies. I believe the reservation is under Rosalie's name."

I could feel Edward tense beside me, almost as though he was hoping we'd be thrown out right now. _He probably is,_ my mind conjectured. But he was doomed to disappointment.

"Yes, Miss Rosalie said she was expecting you. Right this way."

Score! And I hadn't even had to slip him a hundred.

He led us through the swanky restaurant toward a secluded table near the back where a trio of women sat. Rosalie's bright hair shone in the lighting, drawing me in like a beacon. The other two women both had dark hair, one short and black, the other long and brown. I recognized one of them as the clumsy girl from the lobby. Jasper hissed a "Yes" under his breath and I figured the other was, in fact, casino girl. And if that was casino girl, that meant Rose was also from Seattle. I mentally did a happy dance. That meant we wouldn't have to say good bye when we left Vegas.

This was the best day ever.

"Hello, ladies," I greeted as we neared the table. Though my eyes were only on Rosalie, in my peripheral vision I could see the short one with black hair beaming like a child on Christmas morning and the clumsy one blush beet-red.

Rose stood and smiled at us. And damn, she looked good in yellow. "These are my friends Alice and Bella," she introduced, pointing to the two girls respectively. "And I'm Rosalie."

I pointed to Edward and Jasper in turn. "These are my brother Edward, our best friend Jasper, and I'm Emmett. Thank you for inviting us to join you this evening."

Alice gestured for an equally-happy Jasper to come sit between her and Rosalie. "It's our pleasure entirely."

Edward took the seat between Bella and Alice, while I held Rose's chair out for her to sit back down. As she sat, I bent down to whisper in her ear. "I want to put my thingy into your thingy."

And I froze as I realized what line I'd come out with. _I want to put my thingy into your thingy? What the hell was that? Where did that come from?_ My relationship with Rosalie had just ended before it really began.

She looked at me over her shoulder, a sly smile on her face. I was still close enough to hear her whisper. "If I take off my clothes, will you fuck me?"

"Oh hell yes," I breathed.

"Good to know," she responded lightly. "Remind me to take you up on that later. Now look over the menu. You'll need to keep your strength up."

I sat down between Bella and Rosalie with a wide grin on my face. _Damn, I love this woman!_

* * *

**EPOV**

Though I was annoyed with Emmett for forcing me to go to a dinner with perfect strangers just because he wanted to get into one of their pants, all the irritation left me when we arrived at the table.

There, sitting in one of the seats, was the girl from yesterday. The girl that Emmett laughed at when she tripped. The girl I'd wanted to find and apologize to for my brother's idiocy, but had yet to run into.

Bella.

She was even prettier up close. Long brown hair, beautiful chocolate eyes, petite of build and clad in a frothy, soft pink dress that complimented her smooth complexion and matched the light blush staining her cheeks. I couldn't figure out the reason for her current blush. Perhaps Jasper and Emmett had been correct and she had been watching me when she tripped.

_Could I sound any more egotistical right now? She must be blushing because of something else._

I took a seat between Bella and Alice and glanced around the table. Emmett and Rose were whispering something to each other and the sly smiles on their faces made me think that I didn't want to know what they were saying. Likewise, Jasper and Alice had paired off and were chattering quietly to each other. I could hear a few words and it sounded as though they were talking about their earlier coffee session. It was plain to see that Jasper was so far gone over this girl; but her…I just couldn't tell. She seemed almost oblivious to the adoration in his eyes.

It was just Bella and I who were left to ourselves momentarily. It was the perfect chance to do what I'd wanted to.

I softly cleared my throat and she shyly looked at me. "Bella? I've actually been hoping that I'd run into you."

A look of slight confusion passed over her face, accompanied by the deepening of her blush. "You have?" She said it as though anyone wanting to run into her was the most impossible of events, though I couldn't understand why that would be.

"Yes. I wanted to apologize to you."

The blush abated as she tried to figure out what I was apologizing for. "I'm sure you have no reason to apologize, but for argument's sake, what do you think you did?"

"Well, it wasn't me so much as Emmett," I started to explain as amusement entered her eyes. "He can be a real idiot at times and he shouldn't have laughed at you."

And the confusion was back. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"Yesterday evening after you checked in, you tripped. Emmett found it funnier than it was, and I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry if he caused you any discomfort or made you feel—"

Her soft laugh—genuine and almost bell-like—interrupted and caused me to trail off. She shook her head and waved her hand slightly, as though brushing off the apology. "If I can be completely honest with you, I didn't notice that at all. I was not blessed with good coordination and I've fallen down so many times, that I barely notice anymore. So your brother laughing at me didn't even register." She paused for a moment and gave me a sweet smile. "But thank you for wanting to apologize. That was very sweet of you."

Her hand tentatively reached out and her slim fingers curled around my own momentarily before she removed her touch. An unfamiliar, tingling shock ran up my arm. I'd never felt anything like it before and wondered what it was. Had Bella felt it as well?

"So, Alice said that you were all from Seattle, too," Jasper's voice cut in, trying to bring the six of us together instead of three separate pairings. "What brought you all to Vegas?"

I knew he probably already knew the answer to that, but I had to give him credit for attempting to break the ice on what could very well turn out to be an uncomfortable dinner.

"We were just in need of a vacation," Rosalie answered. "So a few weeks of planning and here we are. What about you guys?"

"Same," Emmett answered. "Plus, someone had to help Edward out. School's back in session soon and if he didn't take a break soon, he'd be a real life model of the phrase 'All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy' a truism."

I glared at my brother, who was giving me a cocky expression. The jackass. "If you want to know the truth," I said, returning his look with one of my own, "I think Emmett just wanted to worry our mother by indulging in all the deadly sins in Sin City. Which one is next on the list, Em? Gluttony?"

The waitress showed up at that moment, cutting off whatever he was going to say and adding a nice accent to my comment. I knew he'd probably make me regret the comment later, but just now I couldn't bring myself to care. Plus, there was always the chance that Rosalie would occupy him so fully he'd forget about it.

After taking our orders and bringing us our drinks the waitress left us alone once again. "So what do you guys do back in Seattle?" I asked, hoping to get the conversation back on track.

"I work at a book store," Bella answered in her gentle voice, though she was certainly sounding more at ease. "Alice has her own fashion line and boutique, and Rosalie actually owns her own garage."

"Really?" Emmett cut in eagerly. I knew that Rose's appeal just went up a million points. "So do I!"

Rosalie's entire being seemed to brighten and glow. "I love cars. I always have. My mother was never fond of that hobby of mine or even my insistence in starting Rocky's, but it's doing really well and I would never want to do anything else."

_Oh shit._

It took a few moments for my brother to respond. He looked like he had just been sucker punched. "Rocky's? You own Rocky's?"

_Double shit._ I exchanged a look with Jasper. We both knew that tone and how he felt about his competition. How many times have we had to sit and listen to his 'Fucking Rocky' tirade? _This isn't good. We have to stop this…_

"Yes, I do." Rose sounded uncertain, not knowing what to make of his stiff posture and stilted words.

I looked at the other girls and they looked just as confused. None of them needed to be put in the crossfire of Emmett's pointless competition with Rosalie's business. But how to best stop this train wreck from happening?

"You're Rocky?"

"I suppose, though Rocky isn't a real person. My mother's maiden name was Rochester and Rocky just derived from that," she explained patiently. "Why?"

"I can_not_ believe that you're Rocky!" he burst out.

"Is that really so bad?" She looked at Jasper and I, hoping we could clear this up for her. She just couldn't understand what was making him so upset.

"Yes! You're poaching my customers! You traipse on in, uncaring of how it's going to affect the other garage owners in the city. Everywhere I turn around, there you are! It's annoying as hell!"

"He also owns a garage," I explained, feeling the need to beat the crap out of my behemoth of a brother. "Grizzly's."

"Wait…what?" Her earlier expression of mingled confusion and amusement quickly faded into one of irritation and iciness. "_You_ are the guy that owns Grizzly's?"

I thought I heard Bella groan beside me and I turned to see her head buried in her hands. Alice had an 'oh, shit' expression on her face. Apparently there was more to this than I knew.

"Yeah, I am. You got a problem with it?"

"_You_ are the prick who's been trying to kill my business?"

"I'm not trying to kill anything; I'm trying to save mine!"

"By spreading rumors that Rocky's moonlights as a chop shop?"

My jaw dropped and I looked at Jasper. He hadn't heard about that, either. "You didn't?" Even as I asked, I knew he had. I hoped Esme never heard of this. She'd be so disappointed in her eldest.

"He sure as shit did," Rose answered for him. "I had the cops swarming around my place for a month! It took forever to convince them that 'Grizzly' is just a jackass with a small—"

"Rose!" Bella interrupted her while Alice chuckled a little and Emmett's eyes narrowed on the woman who had so recently been the object of his lust.

"What did I ever do to you, anyway?"

I always knew his stupid, pointless rivalry was going to come back and bite him in the ass someday.

Em rolled his eyes and said, "I already told you, doll. You're my rival! You blow into town on your little broomstick and do everything you can to put me out of business!"

"Rival? I've never seen you as a rival!"

_Ouch! That had to hurt._ My brother was in a rivalry all by himself. No five-year-old likes to hear that he's not taken seriously.

"And I've never done anything to you! All I've done is advertise for my business and fix up cars the best I can. Don't blame me if you're so insecure that you can't handle a little competition!" Her voice was icy and filled with frustration. "God! I can't believe I was actually going to let you 'put your thingy into my thingy' and give you the best fuck of your life!"

"Will you two just shut up?" Alice hissed. "This is not dinner theater!"

I looked around and noticed that the entire restaurant had gone silent and all the diners were currently watching our table, entranced with the unintentional show that was going on. Belatedly, I realized that their argument had been getting louder.How long had we been the center of attention?

Rose and Emmett both looked irritated, but not embarrassed or ashamed over their behavior. They both sat in identical positions, arms crossed over their chests and eyes straight ahead. At least they weren't arguing anymore.

The waitress chose then to return, a tray laden with food in her hands. "Is everything alright over here?" she questioned. "Do you need any help?"

"No," Bella replied, her voice sounding friendly yet tight. "Everything's fine. We were just having a bit of a disagreement. Everything's better now."

She quickly stood and nudged Emmett, tugging on his shirt in a silent command for him to stand, too. I immediately understood what she was intending and I stood to help direct a still-silent-and-pouting Emmett to move to my seat, while Bella and I both moved over one so that Bella was between Rose and I while Emmett sat on my other side.

After waiting for us to get resituated into our new seats, the waitress placed our meals in front of us, obviously wishing for all the world that she was no longer near our table. The tension was practically palpable and it was a wonder that we were all still sticking around.

"Now," Bella continued in a quieter voice than the recent argument, but with no less determination, "we are all going to sit here and have a nice dinner. We will have a nice conversation, with no arguments from either of you two." She made a point of looking both Rose and Emmett in the eye so they could see how serious she was. I was impressed.

"If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all," I added, helping Bella get things back on track. True, this hadn't been either of our ideas, but now that we were here, I wasn't going to let the effort go to waste.

I liked Bella and Alice and, though I wasn't entirely certain of Rosalie, she didn't deserve to have my idiot brother blame her for being a smart businesswoman. I'd actually looked over all the numbers and his business had gone down by, maybe, three people; all of them women and ex-girlfriends of his. It was no wonder they jumped ship and there was no guarantee that they had even started going to Rocky's. Seattle had its fair share of garages, after all.

"Does anyone have a problem with that?" Thankfully, everyone shook their heads or otherwise indicated that they had none. I was just glad that, for once, Emmett hadn't decided to exercise his enormous stubborn streak. "Good."

"So…what are you going to school for, Edward?" Alice chipped in helpfully.

And so the rest of the dinner progressed without incident.

_Thank God!_


	7. Chapter 6

**I'm so sorry about the delay, everyone. Half of the chapter had to be rewritten and it took me a while to do so. RL can suck sometimes; it really can. But better late than never, right? I hope y'all enjoy it and, as always, Bethaboo is the greatest beta ever and I would never have been able to do this without her and her patience with my neurotic ways. Links are in my profile, as usual.**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**BPOV**

"Good book?"

With a start, I looked up toward the smooth, velvety voice as my book dropped onto my bare legs. "Edward!" I gasped, my heart racing at the scare.

It was times like these that I disliked how I could completely shut myself off from reality as I read. Especially when I was in public with someone I had just met and would like the chance to get to know better.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, and I felt like he did that too often with me. "I didn't mean to startle you."

I chuckled softly and waved off his apology. "It's alright. Once again, you have nothing to apologize for. Happens all the time."

Long ago, I'd gotten used to my…idiosyncrasies. My perpetual clumsiness and ability to completely forget that reality existed had become second nature to me over the years. They had been one of those things you either embraced or spent the rest of your life being miserable. Needless to say, I chose to just get over it.

Edward looked almost like he wanted to argue, so I cut him off. "Last night was really something, huh? We made a good team."

After separating Rose and Emmett, the rest of the evening had gone off without a hitch. Edward, Jasper, Alice, and I had kept the conversation flowing in a casual way, making sure to steer clear of anything that could set the two off again. Though there had been some talk of the evening continuing after dinner, we had all gone our separate ways once the bill was paid for.

I couldn't deny that I'd felt a bit sad that it had been necessary. Other than the argument, I'd enjoyed myself much more than I ever thought I would. Never before had I ever felt so at ease with someone I'd just met as I had with Edward. Averting arguments must have some secret bonding powers or something. I could easily see us being friends. As we'd parted, I couldn't help but feel that we wouldn't be running into each other again, even though Jasper and Alice had hit it off so well. The stupid feud between Emmett and Rose just wouldn't make it easy on any of us.

But here he was. And here I was. Just the two of us.

And speaking of…where were his brother and friend? A quick scan of the courtyard answered the question. Jasper had found Alice by the edge of the pool and the two were engrossed in conversation, with the former looking like an adoring puppy and the latter completely oblivious to it. I swear, sometimes Alice needs a full-color diagram to see what was right in front of her face. That boy had it bad! And Emmett…was by Rose. My mental groan at the thought of my time alone with Edward being cut short by them was pushed away by a grinning Mike. Despite having a marvelous night with his catch of the evening, he'd been upset at missing the excitement at dinner and now would be his chance to get a little piece of it back. _Good luck to him._ I was just glad that Edward and I would have the chance to get to know one another better without all the interruptions.

I turned back to the object of my thoughts. _Maybe you could be more than merely friends,_ my mind teased as my eyes lit upon his bare chest. He was muscular, but not in the heavy weightlifter way his brother was; muscular in a strong yet lean way with broad shoulders. _Like a swimmer,_ my mind supplied and I recalled that he and Jasper had mentioned something last night about swim team. Seeing him now, I could believe it. His chest had a light smattering of hair, the same copper color as that on his head. It narrowed down, trailing over his abs—_A rigid six-pack_—into a thin line leading into his swim trunks. His swim trunks, which he filled out nicely.

My body heated, flushed with the thought of what the nylon fabric hid from view and a steamy image of the two of us entwined in a bed with satin sheets in my head. I had to give myself a mental shake as he began to speak and I felt embarrassed for ogling him as I had. _I hope he didn't notice._

"Yeah, we did," he said, and I quickly had to scan my brain for what we'd been talking about. _Oh, yeah. Last night._ "I'm glad we were able to defuse the situation. Judging from what we saw last night, I'd say that once those two really got into it they would put an atom bomb to shame."

I chuckled at that. I knew Rose's temper well; she was a very passionate person, and I could tell that Emmett was just the same, just from meeting him once. Those two could definitely be akin to a nuclear disaster if allowed to really go at it. "I'd have to agree with you there. Thankfully, though, today they're Mike's bomb."

He glanced over at the topic of our conversation and I could see the recognition on his face as he spotted Mike. My friend wasn't an easy one to forget. Especially once he tried to pick up both you and your two best friends for a fourgy. "They haven't appeared incendiary yet, so I guess he's doing well."

"Trust me, if anyone can handle them, it would be Mike. If they haven't exploded by now, they're not going to," I assured him, confident in my assessment. We faded into a comfortable silent for a few moments, soaking up the warm, dry Nevada sun. Turning my head to face him again, I said, "Last night it sounded as though you didn't really want to come to Vegas."

He faced me, his beautiful green eyes boring into my own, and shrugged those strong shoulders. "No, I didn't really. To be quite honest, this place isn't really my style."

In that moment, I felt a flash of something I couldn't define. Almost a kinship with him, knowing exactly what he meant. "I feel the same way," I confessed, leaning in closer to him. "Everything here is just so glitzy and showy and…"

"Ostentatious?" he supplied with a crooked grin.

"Exactly," I agreed with a roll of my eyes. "I don't know…I guess I was just born without an inner showgirl. I've never wanted to own my own set of gigantic feather fans."

He laughed. "I don't know; I could see you sporting a suit of sequins and feathers."

I felt my cheeks burn with a blush at the image he brought to my mind with his almost-flirty tone of voice and at the burning, almost glowing, in his vibrant eyes. I wasn't sure if I was really seeing that or if my attraction to him—and there was no doubt that I was attracted as another non-child-friendly image of us entered my mind—was causing my imagination to get away from me. "That makes one of us then," I replied, knowing I sounded doubtful.

"No, no, it's true!" There was no denying the hint of teasing in his voice. "Spandex trimmed in sequins and feathers, sparkling in the bright spotlight. Wide Colgate smile on your face, blinding the audience."

"Wow, your imagination is truly impressive. I can't even picture me being a showgirl for Halloween, let alone professionally," I replied. "But I can see you in full lounge singer garb…you'd be able to pull that off like nobody's business."

It was his turn to be doubtful, though a crooked grin quirked his lips. "Oh, really?"

"Oh, yeah," I assured him teasingly. "Picture it: Maroon suit jacket and pants made of crushed velvet, a cotton candy pink shirt, complete with ruffles down the length of it. Oh, and let's not forget the red satin cummerbund and bow tie. Yeah, you'd look _hot!_"

"I'd look like a dork," he replied, laughing that deep, velvety laugh of his.

"No, you'd look like a star," I continued, trying to suppress the giggles that wanted to escape, but not entirely succeeding. "And together we'd make quite a pair, wouldn't we? Me in sequins, all breasts and teeth; you in the velvet tux, all smooth and sexy. We'd be the envy of all."

We broke off into laughter. "The glam gods of Las Vegas would be proud."

"The glam gods?" I questioned. "Don't you mean Satan?"

"One person's good is another person's evil," he remarked sagely.

"If that isn't the truth, I don't know what is." As far as I was concerned, Las Vegas could remain the property of those who felt comfortable here. I was not one of them. It was a nice place to visit, but not somewhere I'd want to live.

"I have to admit, the city isn't that bad, though," he said a while later after another comfortable silence. "I'm having a much better time than I'd thought I was going to."

"No, it isn't," I conceded. "Once you get past the bawdy part of its reputation."

I was having more fun here than my mind had originally conjured. The most "Vegas" thing I'd done so far was gamble, and even that had been just a short stint that I wasn't planning on repeating. The itch had been scratched and wouldn't be coming back.

"So tell me, are you going to do any of the stereotypical Las Vegas things that give the city that reputation?" he questioned, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Well, I already gambled. I think that's enough for one trip," I replied. "Wouldn't want to press my luck, after all. Though I may try a buffet; it depends on what all Rose and Alice have planned out. How about you? What's on your itinerary?"

"My schedule's pretty open," he shrugged. "Who knows? Sex, drugs, rock and roll?"

"Why not go the whole nine yards and have one of those drunken weddings?" I teased. "You know, complete with Elvis as the officiator?"

The suggestion was met with a hearty laugh.

* * *

**EmPOV**

"You know, you guys are going to have to get over this sometime and forgive me," I stated brightly as I looked at my brother and my best friend.

They'd refused to speak to me much since last night's dinner fiasco. They'd give me monosyllabic answers to questions, but otherwise just gave me pissy glares. Okay, so maybe I'd overreacted a little. Well, a lot, actually.

"You've been sabotaging Rosalie's business," Jasper pointed out in explanation.

"You knew you were doing something wrong or else you would've mentioned it to one of us," Edward added.

"Wrong shmong, I did what I had to do to save my garage."

I would admit that I'd gone a bit too far, but damn it! Grizzly's was my baby and I wasn't going to sit idly by while someone tried to outshine me!

Even if that wasn't their intention.

Even if they had absolutely no idea why I was gunning for them.

Damn it! I was an ass.

_Would you really be thinking that if "Rocky" wasn't smokin' hot?_ asked the little Devil Emmett on my shoulder.

Would I? Well…if Rocky had been a guy who had fought back, definitely not.

But a woman I was already half in love with until I learned who she was? That was definitely a gray area.

"Whatever," my brother replied while Jasper rolled his eyes and picked up his ever-present manuscript. "One of these days you're going to have to take a good, long look at what you've done and really think about whether it was right or wrong."

_I think I'm already there._

"When that day comes, I'll be sure to give it the maturity you would." I grabbed my towel and threw it over my shoulder. It was to be another day spent beside the pool; though I'm sure that today wouldn't hold such a happy ending as yesterday turned out to have.

_You don't deserve a poolside hand job,_ the little angel on my shoulder pointed out.

Where had this guy been last night? He couldn't have shown up then before I screwed myself over?

_I know,_ I replied, _but how was I supposed to know who she really was?_

And now I was talking to myself.

"Are you sure you're capable of maturity?" Edward questioned. "Because you certainly haven't shown much thus far!"

"Quit your whining before you really make me think you're an old woman."

I just wanted him to shut up. I was feeling guilty enough as it was, though I knew it was mostly due to his and Jasper's whining and nothing to do with any wrong done to Rosie.

_It's only friend guilt,_ I assured myself. _I did what any strong business owner would do to keep their business from going under._

_You lost two customers, jackass,_ the little Angel Emmett on my shoulder pointed out. _Hardly a sign you were tanking._

_You're not helping!_

_I'm not here to help, you ass! You're beyond help!_ The little angel sighed disgustedly and fluttered off.

_You did what you had to do, buddy,_ the Devil consoled. _There was no way you could know that you'd some day want to bang Rocky!_

And that certainly didn't help matters any; that just made me think of the elaborate fantasies I'd been having of Rose ever since I first laid eyes on her.

There was a loud ding and the elevator doors opened to reveal the lobby. "Come on, you two. I need a drink," I grumbled as I led the way to the pool. If I was going to have all these conflicting feelings in me, I was going to need to get some liquid fortification.

I hated complicated feelings.

Crossing out into the large pool courtyard, I immediately made my way to the bar. "Something cold and alcoholic, I don't much care what," I ordered, not much caring what the bartender gave me.

_Lemon Daiquiri!_ the Devil hissed.

"Lemon Daiquiri," I amended quickly, then wanted to smack myself. Hard.

That's what Rose had been drinking yesterday.

_Why do you hate me?_

_I don't hate you. I just like lemons! _The Devil was silent for a few moments more before adding, _They taste like Rosalie!_

Yep, the voices in my head were definitely trying to kill me.

The bartender handed me the glass and I resisted the urge to groan. I think I might need to go see a shrink. I turned back to look at my boys and…they were gone.

I spotted a flash of gold and saw that Jasper had attached himself to the tiny one from last night. Alice, the Casino Girl. They were sitting on the edge of the pool, their feet dangling into the water. His manuscript was lying forgotten on one of the lounge chairs behind them.

It came as little surprise that Edward had found himself the brunette. Bella, I think her name was. Those two had banded together last night at dinner, so it was hardly surprising that they'd already struck up a conversation.

_If they're here then that means…_

Like a magnet, my eyes were drawn to the Golden Goddess herself. _How is it possible that she's gotten even hotter overnight?_

She was wearing a different bikini than yesterday, though looked no less stunning. The animal-inspired print foreshadowed what a vixen she could be when prompted.

_Damn, she looks good in animal,_ the Devil agreed.

_What I wouldn't give to see her in a leopard-print thong…_

Both the Devil and I looked at the Angel who had just popped back in. _What? She's hot!_

I shook my head to clear away the figments. This woman was literally driving me crazy! Almost before I knew what I was doing, I was making my way over to the empty lounge chair next to her. She looked up and, though a pair of dark-lensed sunglasses covered her unique violet eyes, I could tell she was glaring at me with that Ice Princess look of hers. The same look I'd endured after our argument.

With a smirk, I sat down beside her and made a show of making myself comfortable. The waves of irritation wafting off her were palpable. Something about her being pissed off was hot. Last night's argument had gotten me more worked up than anything else ever had. I swear, the passion with which she'd yelled at me last night had only been the tip of the iceberg to what I knew she would show in bed.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, her voice like ice.

"C'mon, Rosie! You know you love me," I replied cockily. "You can't get enough of me."

She turned back to her magazine with a clenched jaw. "Oh, I think I've gotten more than enough of you already, you jackass!"

"I hope you two are playing nice!"

I glanced away from Rose's entrancing face to look at the newcomer. The blond guy from that first night at the club. _Oh, I hope he's not going to hit on me again._

"Mike, sweetie? Could you do me a solid and get rid of this guy for me?" Rose asked, her voice back to sweetness.

"Why would you want to do that, honey?" Mike questioned in reply as he sat down in the lounge next to mine. "He's a cutie! Just look at those abs and pecs…and those dimples! Damn, I could just eat him up."

_Uncomfortable!_

"You're welcome to him if you want him." Her tone of voice was completely unconcerned and I wondered if she was at all attracted to me anymore. "Though I have to warn you that his personality and ethics leave much to be desired."

"Hey, lady, I did what I thought I had to do!" I defended myself, glaring at her.

"Oooh…his dimples even show when he's pissed! How can you not want to lick him like a lollipop?"

"What you thought you had to do? What the hell kind of pansy defense is that, Mr. Man? And Mike…if you want a piece of meat, go to the damn butcher's shop!"

Both the little Angel and the little Devil started doing a jig a la Michael Flatley and Riverdance. _Hells yeah, she still wants me!_

"Meeeeow…" Mike replied, imitating a cat sound. And rather well, too, might I add. "Sounds like someone's a little territorial of this slab of USDA Prime."

If I thought I'd seen her iciest glare at any point over the past twenty-four hours, it was nothing compared to the one she directed at her friend. I swear the air turned frosty and the temperature dropped at least thirty degrees. "He wishes," she growled. _What I wouldn't give to hear her growl my name as I plunge into her…_ "I'm just trying to be your friend and save you from one of the biggest mistakes of your life."

"No, no; I think your friend Mike is right," I replied with a cheeky grin as I shifted to try and hide the hard on I was sporting from her verbal aggressiveness. "Sounds to me like you'd prefer this lollipop belong only to you." I waggled my eyebrows as she looked at me, slightly slack jawed. "If you play your cards right, I think that could be arranged."

"I wouldn't have you for mine if you paid me!"

"Oh, really? 'Cause those diamonds you're packing in your bikini top say otherwise." How could she even deny the evidence of her arousal?

She glanced down at her chest then back at me. Then my head swung to the side as her hand made contact with my cheek. Loud, _hard_ contact. Damn, she had quite a bit of strength in her luscious body. "You pig!"

I looked at her appreciatively. I knew she was a passionate woman; this just drove the point home even more, not to mention how much harder it made me. I swear my pants were about to explode. Tough chicks were one of my fetishes, and Rose was the toughest I've ever met. "Notice how you didn't deny it," I pointed out as I grabbed the hand that had slapped me and placed a kiss on the center of her soft palm before she yanked it away.

"I hate to agree with the man hunk," Mike said, though his tone said the exact opposite, "but there was no denial. And though it does nothing for me, I do have to say that your pointers are definitely out in full effect right now."

She growled again, low in her throat. "Of course you agree with Emmett! You want to convert him and make him your little toy boy!"

"Yeah? Well so do you!"

"So what if I do!?" _Yes!_ "Oh, shit!"

"You can't take it back now, darlin'," I told her with a joyous smile. "You said it and you meant it. You want me as much as I want you."

She swung her long, tan legs off the lounge and maneuvered herself to face me. "Okay, I'll admit it. You're hot and I want to fuck you like an animal, but you know what else? It's _not_ going to happen. I won't allow it. Not until you make up for what you did to me."

Yeah, I deserved that. A lot. "How can I make it up to you if you won't let me?" I questioned, sounding like the pig she'd accused me of. But a simple apology just wouldn't cut it. And especially not an apology I wasn't entirely certain I truly meant. Was I sorry for what I did or was I just sorry that I did it to her? I didn't even know the answer to that, so how could I apologize.

"Think hard, Emmett. And with the big head, not the little one. You ran a smear campaign on me, you vandalized my building, hell, you even sicced the cops on me! That is one hell of a lot you have to atone for." She stood up and grabbed her sarong and magazine. "When you've figured it out, let me know. Or not, I don't care."

She stalked off, leaving me to mull over her words and watch the sway of her hips as she moved.

"Don't worry, buddy. I'll help you," Mike promised with a bright, unfazed smile. "And if all else fails, I've been told that I'm great in the sack, so I could totally take care of your needs."

* * *

**JPOV**

"And she's out of there!" Alice commented, completing the play-by-play she'd been giving while watching Rosalie and Emmett-the-Moron.

I'd been ignoring their encounter in favor of watching and listening to Alice. I wondered if she had any idea just how cute she was in her light pink ruffled bikini, brightly commentating on what our friends were doing as though she was a sports announcer. Only so much better than any of them.

I watched her facial expressions and mannerisms. I listened to her smooth, perky voice. Only a few minutes of this had me certain that I could happily spend the rest of my life this way, just being in her presence.

"You know, I actually feel a little sorry for him," she said moments later, her voice soft.

That surprised me, though it probably shouldn't have. Alice had one of the biggest hearts I'd ever come into contact with. It was so big she could even feel sorry for someone who didn't deserve it. "You do? Why?" As I asked this, I straightened back up from my comfortable slouched position.

She glanced at me with those soulful blue-green eyes. "Well, look at him."

I glanced at my longtime best friend and saw him staring at Rosalie's retreating back. He did look a little pathetic; like a puppy who'd just been kicked. Only, unlike the puppy, the ass deserved to be kicked. "Okay, he looks a little sad, but he deserved to be told off. What he did was unforgivable."

"True, but I've been thinking and I'm not sure Emmett can be held accountable for what he did."

Looking back at her, my brow furrowed. There was no way I could have expected that. Rosalie was one of her best friends; shouldn't she be on her side in this? "What makes you say that?"

"Well, last night I was thinking about Emmett and what he's done. I think he's just a scared little boy who didn't know what to do when faced with someone inadvertently threatening his business. He just did what any little boy would do and acted out."

When she explained it that way, it did make a lot of sense. I'd always said that Emmett was like a twelve-year old in an adult's body. It sounded as though she really had given the issue a lot of thought; thought I'd refused to give it because of how angry I'd been at him for possibly ruining whatever could be between Alice and I. "I think you're right," I told her, looking at the entire situation through new eyes as my anger melted away.

"And like a little boy, he's now regretting what he's done. Oh, don't get me wrong, getting him to apologize will be like pulling teeth, but I think he truly does feel bad. Especially since it hurt someone he loves." She had a small, conspiratorial smile on her face as she said that last part.

Never before had I felt so much like I was ten steps behind someone else. "Wait a minute, who said anything about love?"

"He's in love with her," she explained as though it was the most obvious thing in the entire world. "She's in love with him, too, though she'd never admit it now."

"And you know all this…how?" Emmett had never been _in love_ in his life. Not unless you counted Grizzly's or his Jeep. He'd never even been close to being in love with anyone or anything but those two things.

She ran her soft, small hand over my cheek as she looked me in the eyes. "Jasper, sweetie, remember yesterday? My instincts are never wrong, and right now they're telling me that those two poor, clueless creatures are in love."

I thought back over everything I'd witnessed since Emmett first laid eyes on Rosalie. "I still don't see it; lust—yes, love—no." I placed my thumb over her bottom lip as it jutted out into a pout. "However, I know enough to know that I will never bet against you. So, though I don't really see it, I believe it's true."

The smile she gave me was practically blinding. "Smart boy," she replied before leaning back on her arms and turning her face into the sun.

I wanted to trail my lips over her bared throat, to run my tongue over her soft, pale skin. _I'll bet she tastes like honey. No, not honey. Something a million times better than honey._ I found myself leaning in closer to her, unconsciously following my desires.

She quickly sat back up before my lips had gotten anywhere near their target and I suppressed a sigh. She probably wouldn't have been very receptive to me anyway; she'd given me no hint that she felt anything for me other than platonic friendship. I just couldn't make a move and jeopardize our friendship without some indication from her that it would be welcomed.

"You want to know something else?" she questioned, softly kicking her feet through the azure water in the pool. I'd noticed that it was difficult for her to hold still for long. She was a little bundle of pure energy, yet another thing I found endearing about her.

"Sure," I replied, fighting back the disappointment at not discovering what she tasted like.

"I think Edward and Bella are hitting it off rather well," she said, gesturing toward the two with her head.

Looking toward them, I could see that they were deep in conversation, laughing and with smiles on both their faces. I was glad that Edward had relaxed and loosened up some over the course of this trip. It wasn't always easy for him to make friends, especially when he was so uptight thinking about the coming school year and what his teachers had in store for him.

He was a lot like his brother in that way; he'd wanted to be a doctor for so long that he could get tunnel vision when thinking about it. At least there was little chance of him going psycho like Emmett had done to a rival business. There was little risk of Edward starting a rumor that a classmate was a necrophiliac that was violating the learning cadavers.

"They are. I know I don't know Bella that well, but I think those two are a lot alike, so it's not a surprise they're hitting it off so well."

"I think you're right," Alice agreed, giving it some thought. "Good call. I'm just glad they're getting along. Bella didn't really want to come on this trip and you said that Edward didn't either. It's nice that they've found someone to make this all worthwhile."

Another of her secret smiles was quirking her lips as she continued watching them, as though there was something she was leaving unsaid. It brought to mind the smile she'd had on her face just a short time ago when talking of Emmett and Rosalie being in love, and I hoped that wasn't where her thoughts were going with our other friends. I didn't want to be the one to point out that her instincts were wrong on that count. I didn't want to be the one to tell her about Tanya and her relationship with Edward; I don't think I could bear dashing Alice's hopes.

"What has you looking so morose?" her voice came to me again.

I glanced up and noticed that she was looking at me again, concern in her gaze as she regarded me. Plastering on a smile, I said, "Nothing; I was just thinking. It's nothing important."

She looked skeptical, but allowed my response to stand, sensing that I was uncomfortable giving her a straight answer. "So…what's your manuscript about?" she questioned, searching for another topic to bring up.

"Think _Gone With the Wind_ with much more military detail and the most annoying characters you could ever hope to meet," I replied with a sheepish smile. The Civil War Era was one of my passions and that was part of why I'd been assigned this novel and I'd been looking forward to it. But I'd been reading it for a week and was still only on the fourth chapter and that was the only reason I'd brought it along on this trip, hoping I'd be able to get through it some time this century.

"That bad?" The sympathetic expression on her face had me yearning to kiss her once again.

"The author is a Civil War expert who was prompted by his new, young bride to write a novel," I confessed. Dr. Bainbridge was an intelligent man with too much of a weak spot for his 21-year old dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks bride. He'd taught one of my college history classes and I'd helped him get his last book on the Civil War published. But that was a written history lesson, this was something entirely different. I didn't want to reject the book, but I might just have to. No one would pick it up and be able to get beyond the third chapter.

"Ahh, that explains it all right there. Can the book be salvaged, do you think?"

"I honestly don't know. It would take a major rewrite and I just don't think he'll be able to do it. He's a historian, not a romance novelist. Some people can be both, but he's not one of them."

She gave me her insightful look again; the one that said she knew exactly what I was thinking. "And you don't know how to tell him."

"Your instincts are truly astonishing," I said in way of answer.

Alice shrugged. "It's not all instincts. I like to think that though we've only known each other a little under twenty-four hours, we've become friends and I can understand what you mean even if you don't say it."

I wrapped my arm around her and hugged her to me, kissing the top of her head. "You are a darling girl," I said. "I'm glad we met."

"I am, too," she replied. "So, I think you should just tell him the truth. That the book is hard to get into and the characters are difficult to be sympathetic to. I think he'd appreciate the honesty."

"You're right; though it's still not a conversation I'm looking forward to."

"I have an idea. After you tell him, I'll take you out to lunch. Or dinner. Or a drink…I suppose that where we go and what we do will really be dictated by the time of day and how the meeting goes, but we can go out and celebrate that the inevitable has finally come and that you survived it."

I chuckled at her suggestion. "You're on. I expect you to hold up your end of the bargain."

"Like I'd back out," she snorted.

"Oh, Alice. I'm so glad I've met you."

"So am I," she agreed. We were silent again for a few moments before she spoke up. "I think it was fate. You and your friends were meant to come here now as were my friends and I. Everything happens for a reason. We were all meant to meet."

* * *

**EPOV**

I laughed as we joked around, picturing one of those hokey drunken weddings that seemed to epitomize Las Vegas.

I was a bit surprised that it was easy to talk to her and joke around with her; much easier than it had ever been with someone I'd just met.

There had to be something about stopping your friends from making an even bigger scene in a public place that had instant bonding properties. Even last night it had been easy to speak with her, even through the tension that had existed at the table after the blowup. Alice, Jasper, Bella, and I had kept the conversation going with only neutral topics that wouldn't cause any adverse reactions, while Emmett and Rosalie pouted like children.

Even after we'd all finally called it a night—mostly to get away from the juvenile antics of our friends—I'd continued to think of her and those chocolate-colored doe eyes of hers, the gentle, pink blush that stained her cheeks, the bright, open smile that curved her full lips. Everything combined to form a very pretty picture. An intriguing one.

And if I was being completely honest with myself, a little bit alarming as well. Alarming to my anatomy, anyway. As I'd discovered last night, I was attracted to her; perhaps a bit more than I should be. I loved Tanya and was happy with her. We were going to marry and have children and live happily ever after. So last night's dream was more than a little disturbing.

It had been years since I'd had an erotic dream, but apparently my mind still knew what to do. I'd woken up hard as a rock and feeling guilty as hell. Though I knew nothing really happened, I couldn't help but feel as though I'd cheated on Tanya. I'd had a dream—a passionate, dirty, extremely _graphic_ dream—about someone that wasn't her. Though I knew she'd understand, it still made me feel like an ass.

Obviously, I was getting a little too attached, so I'd resolved to avoid Bella for the rest of the trip. It couldn't be too hard to beg out of any dinner or meeting set up by Alice and Jasper. If worse came to worst, I'd tell him what my issue truly was. He'd be much more sympathetic to my plight than my brother.

Avoidance, thy name is Edward.

That had been my plan all the way up to the moment Emmett, Jasper, and I stepped out into the pool courtyard and I saw Bella, a thick book in her hands and the most adorable smile on her lips. We were adults and there was no reason for me to feel guilty or have to stay away from someone who could very well turn out to be a good friend.

And when I thought about it, was it really that odd that my mind and body had that reaction to a beautiful woman? Obviously, I was missing Tanya and my body still had needs, even though we were separated for a few days. My mind had probably just picked Bella's image because I'd had a good time with her just hours before the dream and she certainly wasn't an unattractive feature. She'd just been my subconscious mind's closest figure to insert into the dream.

It wasn't Bella's fault that I'd dreamt about her. It wasn't her fault that my body couldn't behave itself because of it. Avoiding her because I wasn't grown up enough to deal with my body's reactions just wasn't fair to her. Or to me. I'd forever regret not getting to know her better; we had clicked and you could never have too many friends.

So I'd gone to join her by the pool. And I was glad I had this chance to get to know her without waiting for the next outburst from our friends.

"I think that is one Las Vegas tradition I won't be pursuing any time soon," I replied with a laugh. Just the image of me standing in the front of a chapel with a man dressed up as Elvis was thoroughly absurd.

"So you're more into the whole Drive Thru Wedding deal?" she questioned with a laugh, a twinkle in those deep eyes of hers.

I forced my eyes to remain on Bella's face as she shifted, the split top of her olive green tankini separating to reveal the soft skin of her stomach. An image from last night's dream entered my head and I felt myself hardening again. I shifted in the lounge chair, attempting to keep my body's reaction from her notice. Obviously, my body was desperate for a release. It was just destined for disappointment as I willed my mind away from where it wanted to go. I refocused on our conversation. "Drive Thru Wedding? Is there really such a thing?"

"There really is," she nodded her head, a 'Can you believe it?' expression on her face. She turned and fished around in a tote bag I hadn't even noticed she had sitting by her chair. A few short moments later, she turned back to me, a stack of brochures in her hands, which she proceeded to shuffle through, looking for one in particular. "I got these from Alice. She's determined to have us all experience everything about Las Vegas so she's been snagging copies of every brochure she comes across. I was looking through some of them and learned all about the Drive Thru Wedding. Here it is!"

She held out the glossy advert and I picked it up. On the front was a blissful looking couple sitting in a car outside a chapel window that had the words "Wedding Window" emblazoned on it and a brightly lit neon sign above it that proclaimed "Drive Up." I stared in disbelief at the paper in my hand. "This is unbelievable."

"And apparently it's becoming quite a popular thing to do," she replied, her tone suggesting that she felt the same way as me.

"Weddings are supposed to be a time for friends and family and love; not some quickie vows in a car. That's just…cheap."

She smiled at me before shuffling through the pamphlets in her hand. "I agree. And you wouldn't believe all the different types of weddings in this city. Elvis, pirates, vampires…even _Star Trek_ and _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_!"

I picked up the pamphlets and looked at the pictures, laughing as I did. They looked like Halloween costume parties more than a union of two souls in love. "Alice Cooper?"

"I know," Bella laughed. She held up another one of the brochures. "But this one takes the cake."

"Making Memories Wedding Chapel," I read. "Where special memories are found."

"Keep reading," she directed, suppressed laughter in her voice. "It's a tourist attraction. So a person can have the Las Vegas wedding of their dreams without actually getting married."

"You're not serious," I said. She couldn't be. I read the opening paragraph on the inside of the brochure. She was. "'The perfect Las Vegas wedding without the marriage. We've all heard it before; people come to Vegas and wake up married, sometimes to perfect strangers. Now you can experience the full scope of a Sin City wedding without the lingering hassle of actually being married.'"

"The chapel is apparently new around here," Bella explained, watching me. I wondered if I looked as flabbergasted as I felt about this place. "Alice asked about it, she thought it sounded hilarious. I have a feeling that before the weekend is out, one of us will be fake-married."

"I honestly don't know what to say about this," I replied as I quickly scanned over the rest of the brochure. Something about it, though, struck me as amusing. "I wonder how many people have actually done this. And what's the proper etiquette for this proposal? Wanna fake-marry me?"

"Oh, no, it can't be anything so simple as that," she stated with a shake of her head. "To really experience the entire thing, it needs to be much grander. Something like: Edward, from the first moment I met you, less than twenty-four hours ago, I knew we were going to be great friends. I can't imagine anyone else I'd rather have as my pretend husband. Would you do me the honor of marrying me in a 'wedding without the lingering hassle of marriage'?"

I laughed as she sappily batted her long eyelashes at me, though a part of my psyche jumped with joy at the pretend proposal. That had to be the part of me that was attracted to her. Or perhaps it was just that I liked her and, if I ever actually went through something so preposterous, I certainly wouldn't mind if it was with her.

Placing a hand over my chest, I plastered an exaggerated expression of shock and joy on my face. "Oh, Bella! Nothing would make me happier than to be your pretend husband. It's a dream come true! Can we pretty please go for the Disco package? It's always been my dream to get married with an afro three times the size of my head!"

"Of course, dear. Why not?" She was barely able to speak, she was laughing so hard. "Then we can go get matching 'property of my fake spouse' tattoos!"

"And we can't forget the 'I got fake married in Las Vegas and all I got was this t-shirt' shirts," I added, trying valiantly to catch my breath as she attempted the same.

"Talk about the perfect plan for fully enjoying the Las Vegas experience," she said a couple minutes later once we were able to talk—and breathe—again. We'd be the chapel's poster children."

"I can picture it now: we'd be the fake-married sweethearts of America," I added, taking a deep breath, the oxygen finally able to make its way through my body. "Move over Brangelina, it's our turn for the spotlight."

"If it weren't such a ridiculous thing to do, not to mention a total waste of good money, I'd say let's go for it."

I nodded in agreement with her statement. However fun it would be, we were both too level-headed to actually do it. We were the responsible ones of our respective groups of friends. It seemed that it would be more in keeping with Emmett or Alice to actually go through with the faux ceremony.

"Edward?" Bella questioned after a few moments of comfortable, companionable silence.

There was never any compulsion to fill our silences with meaningless chatter and I think that was another reason why I liked hanging out with Bella. We were free to be ourselves and not worry about anything.

"Hmmm?" I replied, turning my head to meet her gaze once again. My heart gave an odd skip at the soft smile that curved her lips, the sweetest expression I'd ever seen on another's face.

"I'm having a really good time. Better than I'd ever thought I'd have here," she said softly. "I'm glad we met."

I smiled at her and reached out to lightly squeeze her hand with my own. "I am, too."


	8. Chapter 7

**Before we begin the chapter, there are just a few things I'd like to mention. As I've said in many reviews, the answer to the real vs. fake wedding debate is in this chapter. Or, it was. You see, the chapter ended up being 21 pages and, if I recall correctly, over 10,000 words. Yes, it was a monster of a chapter. To save everyone's sanity (especially Bethaboo's and my own), I've decided to chop it up into two chapters. So the wedding answer and the smut are not in chapter seven, as I've been promising, and for that I'm sorry. But the good news is that it **_**is**_** in chapter eight…which is already written and just awaiting a beta from a busy Boo, who will get to it as soon as she is able.**

**Secondly, I'm sorry this chapter took so long to release, but I really couldn't have posted it any sooner. As stated above, it was a monster of a chapter that took, I believe, over a week to write. Then throw in Thanksgiving and a busy schedule for both Boo and I and I can assure you, this was the soonest the chapter could be posted.**

**Thirdly, I did snurch/paraphrase a couple lines from **_**Twilight**_**, and those line(s) belong to SMeyer. There just aren't that many ways you can have such a simple conversation and, intentionally or not, it would've come across as an almost exact duplicate, so why fight?**

**Fourthly, just as I do not own **_**Twilight**_**, I do not own Katy Perry's "Waking Up in Vegas."**

**Also, I got a few questions on the last chapter, and the answer is: To the best of my knowledge, no, that fake-marriage chapel does not exist. I just needed it to suit my own purposes. If one like it does exist, it is neither well known nor is it likely named Making Memories.**

**I'll get chapter eight up as soon as I can, as always. And, just so you know, in chapter nine there will be no Edward or Bella. It will be one devoted entirely to Emmett, Rose, Jasper, and Alice. So those who are not at all interested in them (which is a surprising number) can skip it when it's finished and posted.**

**As always, links are in my profile, and Boo is the very bestest beta ever! And I'm very sorry that this author's note turned out to be so long. Oh! And see if you can spot the canon character making his or her first appearance!**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**EPOV**

"Is it time? Can we go yet?"

Both Jasper and I poked our heads out of our respective bedrooms to look at an extremely eager looking Emmett.

"I'm surprised you're in such a hurry," Jasper commented with what could almost be termed a smirk. If he smirked, that was. He wasn't big on the smirking. "You know, considering the way Rosalie smacked you this morning."

"All part of my master plan," my brother replied smoothly, his hand coming up to caress the faint bruise that colored his cheek. Emmett didn't bruise easily so for one to be showing up on him now meant Rosalie must have really packed a punch.

"Your master plan to get the snot beaten out of you?" I quipped as I stepped back into my room to check my hair in the mirror. No matter what I tried to do to it, it always looked like I'd just rolled out of bed and now was no different.

As I looked at my reflection, I wondered why I cared so much tonight. It was just an evening at a nightclub with some friends. Not exactly a big deal. Even as I thought about it, I knew it had a lot to do with Bella and my mind flashed once again to last night's dream. _Damn it! Stop thinking about that, Edward,_ I admonished myself.

While spending the afternoon together, she and I had made plans for all of us to head over to Pure, the nightclub over at Caesar's Palace. Though we'd both had reservations about getting Emmett and Rosalie near each other, we'd decided that there'd be enough interference around to keep them from going for each other's throats. And they could always back out if they wanted to, which appeared to be the very last thing on my brother's mind.

"That's not precisely it," Em replied. "But I have one and it's excellent."

I snorted as I shrugged into my forest green dress shirt and vacated my room, buttoning the shirt as I walked. "In who's reality is it excellent?" I questioned. "Because your last plan was apparently to get Rose in trouble with the cops."

"Okay, I will admit that may have been a little bit of a misstep, but this one is gold. I promise."

With a roll of my eyes I sat down beside him. _Gold my ass._ "You'll forgive me if I don't believe you. You aren't exactly known for thinking things through."

"Yeah, I love you, too, little brother," Emmett griped as his fist swung out and hit my shoulder. I winced and rubbed the contact site as he continued to speak. "For your information, I had help with this one. Mike and I put our heads together and came up with a surefire plan to get back into Rosie's good graces."

"Good graces or pants?" Jasper questioned as he joined us in the main room, tying his tie as he walked.

"Who says the two are mutually exclusive?" my brother replied. "And why are you wearing a tie? We're going to a nightclub, not to have tea with the Queen of England!"

I looked at Jasper and then at Emmett and myself. There was a vast difference in what we were wearing. Emmett and I were both in more casual clothes while Jasper…was in full suit and tie, complete with an impeccable Windsor knot.

"As much as I hate to agree with Emmett," I quickly stood and sidestepped the fist he launched at me again, "I think I have to in this case."

Jasper rolled his eyes and walked over to the mirror to make sure the tie was straight. "Overdressed or not, I want to look nice for Alice."

"First he brings work on vacation and now he brings work-wear. What is wrong with this guy?" Emmett asked the ceiling. "Jasper, buddy, you're going to embarrass yourself in front of your ladylove."

"So says the guy trying to win back a woman while wearing a shirt with a half-naked woman on it."

"It also has a hotrod. Rose will like that! Besides, I think she looks a little like Rosie." Only Emmett would think something like that. "At least I don't look like a total pansy!"

"I don't look like a pansy. I look suave and debonair."

I sighed with a shake of my head. Emmett wasn't going to let go, though in this case he was right. Jasper was running the risk of being extremely overdressed.

"Whatever. Point is, Alice is going to laugh. And the management may not let you in. The dress code is 'casual chic,' not 'fuddy duddy businessman just getting off work.'"

I rolled my eyes as I listened to the two argue it out some more. What a fine group of guys we were; the girls were just so lucky! After ten minutes I'd had enough. When those two got going, they could be like a couple of five year olds arguing over a toy. "Hey! If you two don't hurry it up, I'm leaving without you. Jasper…just go change or in between harassing Rosalie with whatever his demented brain came up with, he'll spend the night torturing you and Alice."

"Fine," Jasper growled in frustration, returning once again to his room.

"Five bucks says he returns with the tie," Emmett commented.

"I heard that, you jackass!"

"I'm surrounded by children," I murmured to myself. "No, not children. Toddlers." Ignoring my brother's dirty looks, I raised my voice enough so Jasper could hear me though his mostly-closed door. "I'll be in the lobby. If you guys aren't down there in a reasonable amount of time, I'm leaving without you."

Right before the door closed behind me, I heard Emmett speak to Jasper. "What crawled up his butt and died?"

Why, oh why couldn't I have been an only child?

* * *

**BPOV**

"I'm not going and you can't make me."

Rose's petulant statement—complete with a stamp of her high-heeled foot—caused the three of us to look at her with exasperation. Exactly the same look a parent would give their child who was throwing a pointless temper tantrum. Other than that look, we all ignored her.

She'd been giving us that line ever since I informed her of Edward's and my plans. She'd been all for the idea—especially since it made her believe that I was getting into the Vegas Spirit—until she'd heard that the guys were coming as well. That threw a huge monkey wrench into the works. She'd been pouting non-stop since then, though we all knew she was going to come along of her own free will. She just had to be a baby about it.

I sighed and turned back to the mirror as I ran my brush through the mahogany waves once again. As I did so, I realized this was probably the most time I'd ever put into my appearance in my life. Well, willingly anyway. I wanted everything to be perfect tonight. Or as perfect as it could be when two members of tonight's party were feuding.

I'd had a really good time with Edward over the course of the day. We'd spent nearly every moment of it together and even being parted from him for a few hours as we got ready was too much. As I met my eyes in the mirror, I knew I'd already fallen for the bronze-haired man. And hard.

A part of me was terrified of that. We'd only just met and I'd never felt such an instantaneous connection with anyone else like I had with him. But another, larger, part of me just didn't care. He was a great guy. Warm, funny, caring…and extremely hot. _Though hot isn't really the most important thing,_ I reminded myself. There were much more important things than looks.

I didn't know how he felt about me or if he even felt anything, but I hoped he at least considered me a friend. He was the type of guy who could have any woman he wanted and he wouldn't settle for someone like me. There was nothing wrong with me, I knew that, but a relationship between us just couldn't work out. His brother hated my best friend and pseudo-sister, for crying out loud! We just couldn't subject all of our connections to their spats on a regular basis. Friendship would have to be enough. And if I just so happened to have fantasies in which we both ended up naked and in bed then so be it.

"For the love of…" Rose growled as she stood up and stalked toward me, snatching the brush out of my hand. "Give me that! You're going to brush yourself bald."

I smiled at her reflection. I'd never been good at doing my own hair. She or Alice usually ended up doing it. And my makeup. And telling me what to wear and how to accessorize.

How had I ever gotten along without them?

Alice stepped out of my bathroom, ready for the night in one of her own designs. Actually, except for Mike, we were all wearing dresses Alice had designed for us during her 'retro inspiration phase,' though I wondered if it could really be considered a phase as all her designs had some element from past fashion incorporated in them. That was one perk to having a fashion designer for a friend. You were never left without something for special occasions.

The dress she'd chosen for herself was a cute little tank dress with a Lotería card print. Rose was in a form fitting leopard-print salsa dress with pink trim. They were both stunning. Both Jasper and Emmett were going to just die when they laid eyes on my girls. Jasper would be happy no matter what Alice wore and I'd seen the way Emmett had eyed Rose's swimsuit of the day. He was a fan of the animal print.

In her hand was her makeup kit and I knew she was coming out to work on me, having heard Rose's admonishment regarding my hair. Of course those two were completely ready. They could get dressed, coiffed, and made up in their sleep.

I could hear Mike in the bathroom and knew he was slaving over his hair, trying to find the perfect style. _He is such a girl sometimes,_ I mentally smirked. He'd been out all day with Emmett and I knew the two were up to something. But so did Rose, which could be part of the reason why she'd dolled herself up so much tonight. The best defense was a good offense, and our girl was definitely on the offensive.

"Am I hot, or am I hot?" Mike questioned as he swaggered into the room, doing his best runway model impersonation.

"You're a dick," Rosalie immediately responded.

Having one of her best friends team with "the enemy," was certainly not the best of ways to get her in a good mood.

"You're just jealous 'cause Emmy likes me better than you now," he teased, sticking his tongue out at her.

I rolled my eyes, meeting Alice's equally-irritated gaze momentarily, then looked over at our lovely little friend. "Looking good," I replied, attempting to cut off any further sniping. I _so_ didn't want to deal with them tonight!

And Mike was looking good. He had donned a pair of black slacks with a skin-tight red muscle shirt with an unbuttoned black bowling shirt with a panel of card suits down the right side with the words "Viva Las Vegas" over it. Casual, but a little dressy. His hair was artfully mussed in a manner that made a person want to delve their fingers into it.

_Edward's sex hair is _much_ more successful,_ I noticed. Though to voice that opinion would lead to whining and pissiness. I just wanted to get to Pure and meet up with the guys.

"Yes," Rose agreed sarcastically as she reached for the hairclip that went with my dress. I winced slightly as she put it in my hair. "Your little boyfriend will love it."

"Rose, get off his jock already," Alice sniped as she finished up on my face. "You know Emmett only has eyes for you. Mike's just yanking your chain and you're giving him what he wants."

"How can you two not be upset about this?"

I groaned. This was going to go on _forever!_ "Rosalie…sweetie, honey, sugar-pie, give it a rest. Just for one night, please? This is Mike we're talking about here. Think about it!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mike asked with a pretend pout.

"Emmett is stacked, just his type, so of course he's glommed onto him."

"Glommed? I don't glom!"

"It's just Mike being Mike. I thought you didn't want Emmett, anyway." Alice beamed at me, a _Way to go!_ expression on her face.

"I don't."

_Nice use of denial and self delusion. She could teach a class on it._

"Then what's the big deal about Mike getting your sloppy seconds?"

"You're right," she grudgingly admitted with a final spritz of hairspray. At least the fight was over. For now. "Alright, I'm done."

"Me, too," Alice agreed as she closed up her kit.

I stood and looked at myself in the mirror. Yes, I looked great, I decided. I'd spent over an hour staring at the multitude of clothes The Girls had packed for me—for a trip that lasted four days, they'd packed enough to last me two weeks, though I was suddenly glad they'd packed such a large variety—I'd finally chosen my favorite Alice creation. The halter-topped swing dress was made of a beautiful white fabric with a bright blue rose pattern and had light green trim. When combined with the ice blue silk rose clipped into my hair and peep-toe pumps that matched my dress perfectly, the entire look was complete.

I couldn't wait to see Edward.

"You look amazing, Bella," Alice beamed. "Retro-inspired suits you. Edward won't know what hit him."

I know. _Wait…what?_ I glanced over at her, studying her innocent expression. "Alice…what are you up to?"

"Nothing," she replied. I couldn't tell if she was lying or not. She was the queen of acting innocent. She snorted at my obvious disbelief and rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I'm not up to anything. I'm just saying that you two are so cute together and you look stunning tonight."

"You do look luscious," Mike interjected in his inimitable way. I wasn't sure what I felt about being described as 'luscious.'

"You do look great," Rose agreed supportively, though the expression on her face indicated that she hated agreeing with Mike about anything. At any other time I would've been amused by their little argument, but just now I had absolutely no interest in it. There were other, more important, things on my mind.

"'Cause you know Edward doesn't see me that way," I felt the need to point out to Alice. She had to be planning something otherwise she wouldn't have come out with such an outta-left-field statement like that.

"What?" Still with the innocence. "I was just making a statement. You two are cute and you do look amazing. Edward would have to be dead not to notice that."

"I didn't do this for Edward." _Liar._

"Liar," Mike snorted, echoing my own thoughts. "But if you want to live with your lie then so be it. Is it time to go yet?"

"Yeah, because you're so excited to see your new toy boy," Rose sniped.

"You're just jealous that he spent the afternoon with me and not sexing you up."

"I'm not jealous!" she burst out, her volume rising. Mike had already told us about the morning's encounter with Emmett. Why she was still denying that she was attracted to the immature muscleman? "If you want that brainless oaf, you can have him!"

"Well, thank you. That's so generous of you to give me your permission," Mike smirked. "Too bad he doesn't want anyone but you."

I looked over at the clock then picked up my purse, making sure I had enough cash and my I.D. "You two can stay here and argue more if you want, but I'm heading over to the club now. Alice, you coming?"

"He may want me, but I don't want him." It seemed that Rose hadn't even noticed me speak.

"In a minute," she replied, studying her reflection again. "Wait in the lobby for me and I'll be right down."

"What is that saying of Ol' Billy Shakespeare's?" Mike questioned, obviously not having heard me either. "Oh, yeah, that's right: Methinks she doth protest too much."

"Fine. Ten minutes, no more."

I left the room before she could give her usual vague response. I knew I'd be lucky if she made it in fifteen. She had some real obsessive-compulsive tendencies right before leaving for any event.

Sighing, I stepped into the elevator, stopping short when I recognized the car's lone occupant. Bronze sex hair like Edward's was truly distinctive. "I see the rest of the guys are absent," I said with a smile as I stepped into the car and leaned against the wall next to him.

"Hey, you," he greeted warmly with a smile of his own. "They're still in the room arguing. What about the rest of The Girls?"

He'd learned of our self-given name at dinner last night; hearing that he remembered it caused an odd flutter inside of me. "Believe it or not, they're doing the exact same thing," I answered, laughing. Alice was always going on about fate and how things are destined to be. Maybe she was right about this situation; our two groups certainly had enough in common. "I was just going to the lobby to wait for them to finish."

The doors opened up to the lobby and we stepped out together. "Same here; though I have a better idea. Why don't we go on ahead and they can catch up when they're ready."

Time alone with Edward away from our nearest and dearest? _Like I'm going to turn that down,_ I thought. "Sure, let me just call Alice and let her know the plan.

Fifteen minutes, two phone calls, and one cab ride down the Vegas strip later, we'd been admitted into Pure and were seated at our reserved table. We'd been lucky enough to get the last table when we'd called earlier in the afternoon.

"Have I mentioned how beautiful you look tonight?" Edward questioned as the waitress headed off to get our drinks.

I felt the blush heat my cheeks as I smiled. "You have now," I replied. I couldn't deny that I was delighted he thought I looked beautiful, especially considering how much time I spent on my appearance tonight. "You clean up well yourself." The color of his shirt complimented his eyes perfectly, enhancing and brightening them.

"That's what I've been told," he joked. The waitress returned with our drinks and then moved on to her next table. Waiting until she was out of earshot, he spoke again. "Actually, before leaving the suite this evening I did a little research. Circus Circus actually holds a class on how to be a showgirl."

The drink I'd been sipping while he spoke went down the wrong pipe as I gasped in surprise. He immediately jumped into action and began firmly pounding on my back as I struggled for breath, feeling more than a little lightheaded, though whether it was from the surprise at his revelation, the choking, or the alcohol itself was up for debate.

"Are you alright?" he questioned a few moments later as I drew in gasping breaths, the coughing seeming to have passed.

"You can't be serious," I said after a couple of tries.

"Oh, but I am," Edward replied, his body relaxing as he realized that I was alright. "Just imagine it: a class that teaches you where and how to move, the best smiles, and, of course, how best to blind the audience with those sequins. Showgirl University. Before you know it, all colleges will have lessons."

He showed no sign of deceit or teasing, but I just couldn't believe what he described could possibly exist. I opened and closed my mouth a few times as my mind struggled with his assertions. He started to laugh, his eyes sparkling with mirth, and I realized he really was teasing me.

"You jerk!" I reached out and slapped him on the shoulder. Though I was a little annoyed that he'd had me going so thoroughly, I was smiling and laughing a little.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist," he replied easily, a chuckle still on his lips. "The expression on your face was priceless."

"Yeah, laugh it up, funnyman; just wait until I get you back," I threatened, though I had no ideas how to do that. If I decided to actually do something, I could just get some suggestions from The Girls. Or perhaps even Emmett. I'm sure he'd know what to do.

"I really am sorry." I had to hand it to him; he was certainly doing his best to look contrite and repentant. "Please, don't be mad."

With a laugh and a roll of my eyes, I said, "Silly Edward, I'm not mad at you. Not by a long shot."

He visibly brightened then stood and held out his hand for my own. "Good, then let's go dance."

I looked from his hand, to the dance floor, and back to his expectant face. Dance? Did he not remember what happened the first night we saw each other? "I think I'm going to have to take a pass on that."

"What? Why?" he questioned, his brow furrowing in a quizzical, yet slightly confused way.

"Edward…I can't dance. Every time I do, I either hurt myself, hurt someone else, or look like I'm having a seizure," I answered back, feeling my cheeks flame up again. Dancing was just something I did not do.

"Is that all?" He made it sound as though my admission was something small and inconsequential; a hurdle that was easily leapt.

"What do you mean, 'is that all'?" I questioned; I'm not certain he truly got that I wasn't just being modest. My balance problems and a complete lack of rhythm combined to make me one of the most pathetic dancers ever born on this planet. "Edward. I _honestly_ can't dance!"

Fast as lightning, his hand grasped mine and he pulled me up and over to the dance floor, holding me in his arms. "Silly Bella," he said, echoing my tone from earlier, "don't worry. I _can_."

A slower song came on and his gentle hold on me tightened fractionally as he slipped into a classic dancing frame. Then, looking into my eyes, he began to dance in time with the music. To my surprise and amazement, I was dancing with him. It was stilted and not exactly graceful, but I didn't look like the paramedics should be called. Normally, I could only dance without looking like a spaz if I was three sheets to the wind, but Edward was magic. With him leading me, I could dance.

"See? Anyone can dance if they're with the right partner," he said with that crooked smile on his face, his voice at once proud of me and cocky at being right.

"You being, of course, 'the right partner'?" I teased as I relaxed my body. Maybe grace would come if I wasn't stiff. I wasn't sure, but I think it worked.

"Of course," he replied. We both caught sight of the others arriving at our table and we waved, though stayed on the dance floor. He leaned in closer to me, as if he was going to tell me a secret. "But I do have to say, I'm only the right partner if I have a good partner of my own."

I laughed softly and shook my head. "You are quite the charmer."

"That's what I've been told."

When the song ended, we returned to our table and ordered more drinks. The seven of us joked around for a while. Emmett tried, in vain, to get Rose's attention. Mike hit on anything with pants and testosterone. Jasper looked at Alice as though she hung the moon and stars. And Edward and I sat back and had fun, especially once Rosalie began dancing with every other guy in the place, obviously aiming to make Emmett jealous.

I polished off my Tequila Sunrise—I'd lost count of how many I'd had after the fifth one—and grabbed hold of Edward's hand, tugging him toward the dance floor. The song had just changed over and I recognized the opening notes almost immediately. Alice had been listening to the CD almost non-stop from the moment she'd gotten it. "Come dance with me, Edward," I demanded as I led him to the crowded floor. "I love this song!"

He chuckled and followed readily enough. "I think I've created a monster," he joked lightly.

As he wrapped his arms around me, Katy Perry's voice belted out the first lines of the song.

_You gotta help me out; it's all a blur last night. We need a taxi 'cause you're hung over and I'm broke._

"Waking up in Vegas." An appropriate song, in my mind, considering where we currently were. I certainly wouldn't mind waking up tomorrow married to my dancing partner. _Man, I must be plastered,_ I mentally laughed.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, delving my fingers into his hair as we moved together. "I'm not sure I'd say you've created a monster," I said. "It's more that you've shown me that, with the right partner, dancing is nothing to be afraid of."

He laughed. "See, I told you I was the perfect partner."

"Yes, you did."

_Why are these lights so bright? Did we get hitched last night? Dressed up like Elvis. Why am I wearing your class ring?_

"I wonder how many people have actually lived out this song," Edward mused as he listened to the lyrics pouring out over the surround sound system.

"What time frame are we talking here?" I questioned cheekily in return. "Just today? Over the past week? Month? Or do you want to know the number since the founding of the city?"

He threw his head back and laughed. "The answer to all time frames is probably 'too many to count.'"

"And that's just the conservative estimate," I joked. "I don't think we'll have to worry about joining the numbers any time soon."

"I really don't think my girlfriend had that in mind when she told me to have fun this weekend."

I frowned a little as a wave of disappointment rushed through me. I struggled to keep any of it from showing. "You have a girlfriend?"

"Yeah," he replied with a soft smile. He didn't appear to notice my inner emotion, which I was thankful for as I wasn't the best actress. "Her name is Tanya. She made me promise to have fun this weekend and be open to trying new things."

Wow. Understanding girlfriend there, considering how much trouble many got into in this city. "Yeah, I'm sure marriage was definitely not on her mind of things you should experience down here."

The news that he already had a girlfriend, though disappointing, didn't really come as a surprise. He was smart, funny, and gorgeous, so of course he had a girlfriend. What woman could let him pass her by? It just confirmed what I'd already suspected; he wasn't interested in me as anything more than a friend. And, though I'd love to have more than just friendship with him, I could easily settle for having nothing more with him. I'm sure my attraction to him could be easily pushed aside and ignored. Assured of this, the smile quickly returned to my face.

"Probably not," he agreed.

"We'll just have to make sure that you accomplish many things that are on the list, though," I stated simply. "You don't want to disappoint her by not having fun, would you?"

"Definitely not."

The song segued into next then once again a few minutes later as we stayed on the dance floor. The crowd on the floor began to murmur and babble as though something was going on. Edward and I turned and saw a glittery crowd entering the club, obviously heading toward the VIP Red Room. At the head of the group was a woman with vivid red hair.

"Is that Victoria Savage?" Edward questioned softly, looking at the woman.

"I think so," I replied, looking at her, too, and feeling like an idiot while I did so.

At the beginning of the year, Victoria Savage's first movie had hit theaters, her first album just a couple weeks after that. Those two things combined to make her an instant star. She was like a more talented version of Paris Hilton and infinitely more likable. It was no wonder that she was drawing spectators.

I forced myself to turn away and saw Edward looking down at me with his crooked smile. There was a gleam in his eye that I hadn't seen before; I would almost classify it as the look that a small child would get when he or she was about to do something they knew they shouldn't. Mischievous. "What?" I asked cautiously, not entirely certain I wanted to know.

"How big would you say her entourage is?" he questioned.

Glancing back over, I tried to count the number of companions she had with her. "I don't know…ten? Fifteen? Why?"

"What do you say we join them?"

"What? Are you serious?" He couldn't possibly be. Could he?

"Don't tell me you aren't curious about the VIP section. Or about what she's really like."

"You see those bouncers over there? The ones guarding the door? We're not going to be able to sneak past them, and I, for one, don't feel like getting humiliated by the Rent-a-Cops." My father was a policeman—not just a policeman, but the chief of police—and he'd raised me to follow the law and stay out of trouble.

"Come on, let's do it," he urged, looking almost like a small child on Christmas morning. "You know you want to."

I looked at him, slowly shaking my head. I honestly couldn't believe what he was suggesting. And what was even crazier was that a part of me wanted to go ahead with it. "Edward…"

"Bella, my dear, sweet, Bella…we're in Las Vegas. Sin City." His gaze was mesmerizing. "This is the land of impulsiveness and fun. Let's live a little. You know you want to. Where else could we do this?"

"Alright," I agreed, thinking about his words. "Let's do it."

I thought back to all the tequila I'd already had this evening and knew I was straddling the line between being tipsy and flat-out drunk. If we got caught, at least I had a handy excuse. _I'm drunk and Edward could talk the Pope into wading in the Sin Pool. Will they buy that?_

Edward grasped my hand and tugged me forward across the dance floor toward Victoria and her entourage. We seamlessly blended into the back of the group as they stepped up to the bouncers blocking the bulk of the club's patrons from the Red Room.

_We're going to get caught, I just know it._


	9. Chapter 8

**So, in honor of me finally being able to see the movie tomorrow, here y'all go. The answers are here. You'll find out more about Victoria. You'll find out if Edward and Bella get caught sneaking into the VIP room. And, if you've been paying attention, you'll find out the long-awaited answer to whether or not the wedding was real.**

**Oh, and there's sex, so all the underage kiddies go ahead and get out of the pool now. You know better.**

**As usual, the links are in my profile and Bethaboo is the best beta anyone could ever have.**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**BPOV**

Victoria made small talk with the bouncers in her lovely, soprano voice for a few moments before leading the way into the lavishly decorated room.

My heart beat like a jackhammer in my chest as my breathing sped up. The bouncers were going to recognize what we were doing and kick us out. They'd inform the other clubs in the city and we'd all be blacklisted, even The Girls and Emmett and Jasper just by association. They'd never forgive us.

The velvet rope was closed behind us and Edward leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Relax, we've done it."

I looked around the large red-and-gold room, my body starting to relax as I realized that we'd really just snuck into a VIP room, piggy-backing on a celebrity's entourage. "Oh, my god…this is awesome!" I whispered excitedly. _The first bad thing I've ever done in my life,_ I realized as a wave of euphoria swept through me.

Edward tugged on my hand again, leading me toward the private bar at the back of the room. "Let's have a drink to celebrate."

A few minutes later and with drinks in hand, we headed toward a small table surrounded by chairs with plush, red leather. "Here's to going places we don't belong," I toasted, holding up my glass to him.

"And here's to not getting caught," he added, clinking his glass against mine.

The alcohol in the drink hit the spot and heightened the wave of excitement and happiness in me. The sounds of the main room outside were muffled and the atmosphere surrounding us was relaxed. Music, different from that in the main room, filtered over speakers; it was loud enough to be danced to, but soft enough that you didn't have to yell to be heard.

"So what else do you think we could cross off our 'How to have fun in Vegas' list?" I questioned. "Gambling has a check, clubbing has two, sneaking into private rooms has two…so what's next?"

"Let's see," he considered what the town had to offer. He was still smiling, and so was I. A part of me wondered if our faces had frozen in these expressions. "We need to see a show. Wayne Newton, Tom Jones, something with sequins…doesn't really matter."

"Sounds like a plan," I said. "Tomorrow, we'll get tickets to a show."

"It's a date," he agreed, getting up to get us a couple more drinks, not wanting to bother the waitresses who were busy with the other tables.

He returned as the opening notes of a song change rang through the room. It was instantly recognizable; one of the songs I'd dance to when locked alone in my room with the curtains closed so no one could see my spastic movements. "Come dance with me, Edward," I said, part-requesting and part-demanding.

"It would be my pleasure, milady," he responded as he placed our drinks on the table.

I pulled him to the designated dance area as Christina Aguilera's powerful voice started on the lyrics.

_Oh, I'm overdue, gimme some room, I'm comin' through. Paid my dues, in the mood, me and my girls come to shake the room..._

I was completely at ease as we danced to the beat of the song, for once feeling not even the smallest iota of self-consciousness. I was beyond caring what I looked at so long as I was dancing with a partner who truly didn't care.

He wrapped his around my waist and held me close as I wrapped my arms around his neck, easily molding my body to his. Our bodies were pressed tightly together, not even room for air between us.

_Gonna get rowdy, gonna get a little unruly. Get it fired up in a hurry, wanna get dirty, it's about time that I came to start the party…_

Our hips moved together in rhythmic undulations, the movements sliding our bodies against one another with exquisite friction. My breathing sped up along with my heartbeat as my breasts rubbed against his warm, fabric-covered chest and I felt my body responding to the contact with lust. I realized we were basically having sex with our clothes on and the realization only served to fan the flames burning inside my belly.

His body was lean and hard against mine and an image entered my mind of this morning by the pool. An image of the sun kissing his bared torso and defined muscles. My imagination wasn't helping the state of my body any as heat pooled between my legs.

By the time the song came to a close, his breathing was an echo of mine, though I knew it probably wasn't for the same reasons as mine. He couldn't have been as affected by our close proximity and grinding movements as I was. He was the kind of guy who, once he had a girlfriend, all other women ceased to be female to him.

We returned to our table and polished off our drinks. He went to get us more and as he handed me my refreshed Sunrise, he gave me a wide smile. "You feeling better now?"

I felt a bit of confusion as his question registered. Did he know that I had gotten so turned on while dancing with him that I wanted to push him to the floor and have my way with him right then and there before I went up on flames? Was I truly that transparent?

"You know, now that we've been here a while and haven't yet gotten caught?"

I breathed a sigh of relief; my uncontrollable reaction to him had gone unnoticed and I was never more thankfully. "Yeah, I am. There's something to be said for taking a risk."

"You two were really burning up the dance floor over there," a beautiful, melodic voice stated as a slender figure settled itself into one of the chairs at our table.

I looked up into the bright blue eyes of Victoria Savage herself and felt myself pale. She was giving us a knowing look, an amused smile quirking her lips. She knew. She knew we'd piggybacked our way in here.

"Thank you," Edward replied smoothly, appearing completely nonplussed that we were about to get caught. Surely I couldn't be the only one to see it. "I'm Edward. This is my girlfriend, Bella." _Wait. Girlfriend?_ I gave him a questioning look and he took my hand in his, holding it as a lover would. "We're in this together," he said out the corner of his mouth. "Just play along."

"I'm Victoria," she, needlessly, introduced herself in return. "What brings you both to lovely Las Vegas?"

"We're here on vacation and just wanted to let loose a little." He sounded so innocent and normal that even I was tempted to believe that we hadn't sneaked in here.

"Sneaking into a VIP room certainly helps with that, doesn't it?" she questioned just as innocently as she gestured to the waitress, silently requesting another drink. She winked at us as she relaxed back into her seat. "Don't worry about it; I'm not going to narc on you. I used to do the exact same thing. It's a great rush, isn't it?"

She wasn't busting us? And she wasn't upset? Wow. I'd always heard that she was a laid back person, but I'd never expected her to advocate what was, essentially, breaking and entering. "It really is," I answered, speaking up for the first time. The panic that had held my voice captive had finally begun to retreat.

"A word of advise, though. Be very careful if you do it at the Viper Room. There are some especially dogmatic bouncers there." She laughed as the waitress came with a drink for her as well as the two of us. "Put it on my tab," she requested as the waitress nodded and headed off to the next table. "I can't tell you the number of times I tried it there. I'm honestly surprised I wasn't blacklisted from the club."

"This is the first time we've ever done anything like this," I admitted. "Did you really sneak into VIP rooms?"

"First time, huh? Congratulations on the beginner's luck," she complimented. "And yes, I did. Hey, when you have no pull and want to network, you occasionally have to resort to less-than-honorable means to get ahead. Then, after a while, it just grew to be a lot of fun to do."

I could certainly see how it could.

"But now you don't have to bother with sneaking in," Edward pointed out as he took a sip of his Black and Cola.

"That's certainly true enough, though I must admit I do miss it," she confided. "And I've never had a partner in my nefarious deeds. I think that would make it a bit more fun."

He let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his body and I laid my head on his shoulder. "We don't exactly have a basis for comparison, but I don't see why it wouldn't work that way."

Victoria's eyes appraised us as she took a sip of whatever it was she was drinking. "So how long have you guys been in the city?"

"Oh, we got in Thursday evening," I responded. "We came with a bunch of friends."

"And where are they now?"

Edward chuckled a little. "They're out in the main room. We kind of left them behind to sneak in here."

"You have to take your opportunities when they come," I explained, realizing that we were the ones who'd set this entire evening up and ended up ditching them to their own devices. "We wouldn't have been able to sneak in here if all seven of us came en masse."

"Smaller groups are easier to sneak in," she agreed, calling the waitress over again.

The three of us chatted and drank together for I don't know how long. We'd lost track of time as she told us stories about her pre-success days and the hijinks that ensued as she attempted to make the right contacts.

"How long have you two been together?" she questioned as the waitress brought us more drinks.

"Oh, it feels like forever," Edward answered. "I'm not sure exactly how long it's actually been."

"A good forever," I agreed, surreptitiously looking at my watch. We'd known each other for a little over twenty-four hours now. And it had seemed like we'd known each other for ages.

"That's a good sign," she mused. "Have you two ever given any thought to marriage?"

"Actually, we were talking about it just this morning," he answered in a confiding way and I choked on my drink once again. He patted me on the back as I coughed, helping the spell to pass.

"Are you alright?" Victoria asked in concern, sitting forward in her seat.

"I'm fine," I gasped out, beginning to recover.

"It's kind of a secret," he explained as I took huge gulps of air. "We haven't told anyone we were entertaining the notion."

"If you want my opinion, I think you should both go for it. There are some couples that, when you see them, you just know they're going to last forever. I got that feeling when I first laid eyes on you two."

_Oh, if only she knew the truth,_ I thought.

"You know what, Victoria? You're right," Edward said. He pulled back and turned to face me. "Bella, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

* * *

**EPOV**

I looked down into Bella's beautiful brown eyes as I awaited her answer. She looked stunned, as though she was wondering what I was talking about. "We could go to that chapel we were talking about this morning by the pool. We could make special memories together, memories to last the rest of our lives."

Comprehension dawned in her eyes and she smiled. "Yes, Edward. Yes, I will marry you." Continuing with our act, she launched herself into my lap, twining her arms around my neck like a joyous bride-to-be.

The warm weight of her on my lap sent jolts through me and I felt myself hardening. Again. I remembered the feel of dancing with her, our bodies pressed tightly together as we moved to the music. From there, my mind inevitably went to last night's dream, something that hardly helped matters.

Through sheer force of will, I pushed those thoughts out of my head. Nothing Bella had done over the past day or so had indicated to me that she was interested in me as anything other than a friend. I also had a girlfriend waiting for me at home, so getting turn on by my new friend was unconscionable.

But still, it was happening and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I was powerless against the rising tide of my attraction to Bella. I had this voice in my head—it sounded curiously like Emmett—that was egging me on. It was throwing Tanya's earlier words and my promise to her in my face. It was telling me that I was probably the only one resistant to the idea.

And before I even knew it, I was already on the path leading me to possible ruin and I was reluctant to leave. I couldn't leave. I wanted to, but at the same exact time I wanted to be nowhere other than where I was right now with Bella on my lap and our "wedding" imminent and, though I knew it probably wasn't on her mind, I couldn't help my thoughts turning to a real wedding night. And I wanted it. Badly.

I blamed the Cuervo for this; for my inability to separate myself from my attraction. Hardly a mature reaction, but that was all I was able to come up with.

"Congratulations, you two," Victoria positively beamed.

When she'd come up to us, I hadn't thought the evening would end up like this, with the three of us talking for who-knew-how-long and getting along like old friends.

"When's the big day?"

I looked at Bella. "Tonight. Right now," I proposed. "There's no time like the present and I'd like a small, private service."

"Let's do it," she said, hopping off my lap. "If anyone puts up a fuss, we can have a large renewal ceremony back in Seattle. But for now it should be just the two of us. And Victoria." She turned to the redhead. "If you want to come, that is. I think it's only right that you be allowed to come."

I wasn't certain, but I thought Victoria might have been tearing up a little. Before she could respond, an older man in a suit bent down beside her to speak in her ear. After a quick, hushed conversation, she looked at us in dismay. "I'd love to, guys, but I can't. I have to go."

"Oh, that's too bad," Bella said, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout as I echoed her thoughts.

"But if you two ever have that renewal of vows, you can definitely count me in," she said, reaching into her pocket for a scrap of paper. She hurriedly jotted down some things on the paper and slid it across the table to us. "Feel free to call me any time. I had a great time tonight."

"So did we," I said for the both of us as Bella nodded her head. "It was wonderful to meet you."

We said goodbye and the three of us parted. I turned to my "fiancée" and took her hand in my own. "Come on, let's go. Do you remember the name of the chapel?"

Together, we crossed the Red Room—perhaps a little unsteadily. It was a good thing neither of us were driving tonight—and then the main room of the club. "It was something about memories," she answered after a few moments of thought. "Memory something…something memory…"

I hailed us a cab and held the door open for her.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"I'm sorry, we can't remember the name or address," I confessed. "Perhaps you would know. It's a wedding chapel. I think it has a drive-thru window and has the word memory in the name."

"A Special Memory Wedding Chapel?" the driver questioned, looking back at us.

"That's it!" Bella exclaimed brightly. "That's where we want to go."

I laughed at her exuberance and wrapped my arm around her shoulders once again. "We're getting married tonight."

As he pulled the cab out into traffic, the driver replied, "I can tell."

Ten minutes later, we were paying the driver and stepping into the quaint, white chapel. The interior looked fairly normal, though we were just in the reception lobby right now. Then again, this wasn't one of the theme chapels so I would hope it looked normal.

"Hello, there, and welcome to A Special Memory. My name is Sandy. How may I help you?" a petite blonde questioned from behind the desk.

"I'm Edward and this is my 'fiancée,' Bella. We would like to get married. Now," I said, explaining our purpose for being there.

"Ah, yes. Please, come forward and we'll get everything set up for you," she said kindly.

We spent the next half hour going over the various wedding packages they had and getting the details worked out. Thankfully, they had a selection of rings to make everything official. The instant I saw it, I knew just the ring I wanted to get for Bella. It was a simple platinum wedding band with a single, perfect sapphire set into the rounded metal. It was perfect for her; simple and beautiful. Blue was a lovely color on her and the stone reflected that. For me, we chose the matching platinum band.

Within minutes, we were standing in front of the officiator and, looking into each other's eyes, it was time for the vows.

"Bella," I said, my voice gentle yet firm. We'd had the choice of saying our own vows and had taken it. We wanted to go simple and memorable. "I promise to be there when you need me, to fill your days with sunshine, to comfort you and encourage you, to help you reach your goals, to be your best friend ever and to love you all my life with all my heart." With that pledge, I slid the ring on her finger.

Smiling, she took my hand in hers and said her vows. "Whatever lays ahead, good or bad, we will face together. Distance may test us for a time, and time may try us. But if we look to each other first, we will always see a friend. Edward, look to me for all the days to come; today I take my place as your wife." She slid the ring on my finger and it was done.

"Edward and Bella; by the power invested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the officiator stated, sounding incredibly real for an actor. "Edward, you may kiss the bride."

I pulled Bella into my arms and pressed my lips to hers. The familiar shock that came whenever we touched pulsed through me. Giving in to the urge, I traced her lips with my tongue and she parted them willingly, her tongue coming to play with my own as the kiss deepened.

Her body held tightly against mine by my arms, I heard her moan, low in her throat, a sound of sensual pleasure. In no time flat, I was standing at full attention, my erection pressing into her soft belly, inciting another, beautiful sound from her lips. It was the most beautiful sound in the world; I wanted to hear it over and over and over again.

Lord, I wanted her so damn badly. And I probably would have taken her right there if it weren't for the damn officiator clearing his throat. _Damn cockblocker!_ I growled internally as we pulled apart, a beautiful, embarrassed blush staining Bella's smooth cheeks.

"Sorry," she apologized in her soft voice, refusing to make eye contact with the officiator.

"Come on, my darling 'wife,'" I urged, tugging softly on her hand. "Let's go back to the Bellagio."

The look she gave me was heated, the desire to be alone with me clear in her eyes. "Let's go," she said, an audible representation of what was in those chocolate colored orbs of hers.

We rushed out of the chapel, my arm around her waist, tucking her tightly into my body. Stepping into the cab Sandy had called for us, I waited for the ride to begin before pulling her lips to mine once again.

Her kisses were amazing, better than oxygen, and I drew her sweet breath into my lungs. Our tongues tangled together in a slick slide as her fingers tangled in my hair, holding me to her as though there was anywhere else I wished to be than with her at this moment. I wasn't going anywhere.

She climbed onto my lap, that beautiful white and blue dress of hers fanning over us. I groaned into her mouth as her hips pressed into my own; the heat between her legs burning into my straining erection. If this felt this good, how much better would it be with no barriers between us? I couldn't wait to find out. Sliding my hands up her smooth thighs, my fingers delved under the full skirt of her dress, inching up toward her panties.

Then the cabbie cleared his throat. "We're here," he said, watching us with a bored look, as though two people having a heavy petting session in the back of his cab happened multiple times a night. Then again, considering the city we were in, that could very well be true.

Bella quickly scrambled off my lap, the flush of desire upon her cheeks quickly burning into one of embarrassment. I hated that she felt that way. Again.

The second cockblock of the night was more frustrating than the first, though a part of me was thankful for it. The first time I was with Bella, inside her, I wanted us to be on a soft bed in complete privacy, not in the back of some cab with a witness within arm's reach.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a few bills, not paying attention to the amounts, and tossed them at the driver. "Keep the change," I stated quickly. I opened the door and tugged on Bella's delicate hand. "The sooner we get to my room, the sooner we can pick up where we left off."

She looked up at me and the fire was back in her eyes as she nodded. "We can't get there too quickly," she said, her voice husky and it went through me like a lance, straight to my already impossibly hard cock.

"No truer words were ever spoken," I stated quietly as I started toward the Bellagio's front doors. I paused when I felt resistance and looked back at Bella, whose supple lips had curved down into a frown. "What's wrong?"

"What about your girlfriend?" she questioned softly, her deep eyes holding a sadness that hadn't been there before. "I don't want to mess things up for you."

Tanya. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten her and I knew it had to be due to the truck load of alcohol I'd imbibed over the course of the evening. She wouldn't be happy that this happened would she?

_I want you to have fun on this trip, just like Emmett and Jasper._ Tanya's voice came back to me in a rush. _If something happens and you end up getting a little stupid…you have my permission._

She'd made me promise to have fun and to essentially forget I had a girlfriend this weekend. And if this didn't count as stupid, I didn't know what would. My cock throbbed again, making sure I remembered it was there, and that pretty much sealed the deal. Though I hadn't wanted to promise, I had. I knew that if I didn't take advantage of this, if I wasn't with Bella, I would spend the rest of my life regretting it. I wasn't sure why this was, but I had to trust my instincts. I was in this, for better or worse, and I'd see it through. Only a change of mind on Bella's part would turn me back now.

I pulled her to me and wrapped my arms around her, looking down into her face. "You won't, I promise."

"But—"

"No buts. Everything will be just fine," I pressed my lips to hers once again, a slow, gentle glide. "You have nothing to worry about. She gave her permission."

She looked up at me silently for a few moments, mulling this over. I felt a moment of worry that she'd still say no, as she had every right to. A thrill ran through me as she looked into my eyes and nodded her head and pulled my lips back to hers. Her own permission given.

We entered the Bellagio with quick steps and weaved through the crowds at a fast pace, just under a jog, and slipped into the elevator just over a minute after entering the building. I was at once annoyed at and thankfully for the other passengers in the car. Annoyed because we weren't alone and thankful because I knew that if we were alone, I wouldn't be able to wait until we got to my room.

The ride to our floor was unbearably slow and I wondered if it wouldn't have been faster to take the stairs. The moment the elevator dinged and the doors opened to our destination, I broke out into a jog with Bella following behind, her amused laughs sounding like a heavenly choir.

I paused before the door to my suite and rifled around in my pockets for the key card. Bella's slim arms slid around my waist from behind, her fingers trailing over my chest and stomach. With great relief, I finally pulled out the key card and slipped it into the door, pushing it open as I spun around and pulled Bella to me, taking possession of her lips with mine.

Walking backwards, I led Bella into the suite, the door closing behind us with a soft click. Her hands slipped under my dress shirt and ran over my back, leaving blazing trails of electricity. I groaned and pushed her back against the door, swiveling my hips into hers. Her leg hitched up over my hip, increasing the friction of our bodies.

I trailed my hand down over her side and back to caress ass then down the back of her thigh. I pulled up and she wrapped her legs around my waist. The heat of her burned me through the fabric of our clothes and again I wondered what she'd feel like without all the barriers.

Good thing we wouldn't have to wait long.

Returning my hand to her ass and moving the other one up to the smooth, warm skin of her back, I pushed us off the door, holding her firmly to me, and made my way toward my bedroom door. I kicked it closed behind us and blindly reached a hand back to turn the lock. We would not be interrupted again; not if I could possibly help it. Slowly, I carried her to the foot of the bed, wishing I'd left the lights on before I'd left. I wanted to be able to see her as more than a dim shadow.

Her legs unlocked from around my waist and slid down over my hips to the floor. The loss of her blazing heat left me cold and incited a groan of loss from my throat. I reluctantly pulled back from our frenzied kiss and looked into the faint shining of her eyes. More light was definitely needed.

We both panted with labored breaths as our hearts soared with arousal. I walked to the head of the bed and clicked on the bedside lamp and turned to look at Bella. Her arms were raised with her hands behind her neck, working on the dress's halter tie. My jaw dropped along with the dress.

She was exquisite; absolutely stunning. And even those words didn't fully cover it. There were none for just how beautiful she was, standing before me, clad in only in white, lacy boy shorts and her heels. I don't think I've ever seen anything or anyone as sexy as she was right now.

A sensual smile curved her full lips as she stepped out of the puddle of her dress and came around the bed toward me. Her eyes sparkled and seared as they trailed over my body—I swear I could feel it like a caress—lingering over the hard on straining, painfully, against the zipper of my jeans.

She licked her ruby lips as she stood before me and slowly started unbuttoning my shirt, parting the green fabric as she went. She slid it down my arms and I allowed it to fall to the floor. My breath hitched as she ran her hands up my arms and over my chest, her thumbs raking over my nipples. Moving her hands lower over my stomach, she leaned forward and ran her tongue over the flat disc.

My hips jerked forward and my cock throbbed at the sensation of her hot, wet mouth upon my skin. Her teeth raked over me and I moaned, throwing my head back. I wanted to touch her, to run my hands over her warm, soft body but my arms wouldn't obey my orders. While her mouth and teeth played havoc over my chest, her nimble fingers working on the button of my jeans, slipping it loose and slowly pulled down the zipper. My breathing paused and my heart skipped a beat as she slid her hands into my pants and boxers and squeezed my ass before pushing the denim and cotton down my legs, leaving me standing bare before her.

She pulled back from my chest and I heard her breath hitch as her cinnamon eyes alighted on my erection. I watched as her hands slid around to lightly grasp my length. I bit into my lower lip with my teeth as I groaned, my hips involuntarily jerking forward into her fist.

"You are so beautiful," she breathed as her fingers smoothed over my hardness, almost as though she was trying to memorize every inch of it.

"Not half as beautiful as you," I managed to choke out, my voice gravelly as all hell.

She dropped to her knees and I felt her moist breath fan over me and a shudder passed down my spine. Her pink tongue passed through her parted lips to taste the head of my cock and I swayed. My arms finally responded to my thoughts and cupped the back of her head, tangling in her soft, umber hair. Her eyes closed and she hummed lowly. "You taste better than anything I've ever tasted." Then she leaned forward and engulfed me in her mouth.

"Bella!" I groaned, her soft tongue accompanying the suction of her mouth to create the most glorious torture I'd ever felt. I struggled to keep my hands relaxed and not pull her forward and push myself down her throat.

When she brought her teeth into play I couldn't keep my hands from fisting tightly into her hair. I felt my ball tightening. Just a few minutes in her delightful mouth and I was already set to cum. Using my fisted hands, I pulled her off me, fighting the coiled feeling inside me all the while. She made a sound of dismay and looked up at me and I brought a hand forward to cup her cheek. "I want to be in you when I cum," I explained, softly drawing her up from her kneeling position.

Her eyes were almost glassy from lust and anticipation as she licked her lips. I pulled her to me, pressing my lips to hers, my tongue tangling with hers. Running my hands over her shoulders, I continued down to brush my fingers over her pebbled nipples. She moaned that beautiful sound again as I circled the hard nubs, lightly tugging and pinching until her hips began to move against my body, searching for relief.

I could feel her wetness and I wanted nothing more than to taste it, to taste her. Bending down, I swept her up into my arms and laid her out in the center of my bed. The picture she presented was award-worthy. Her pale body glowed against the white sheets; her mahogany hair fanning out around her head. Her chocolate eyes half-closed and shining as she watched me crouch beside her; her slightly-parted red lips swollen and wet. A more sensual picture I've never before seen.

I leaned forward and kissed those full lips once again before trailing my own down the column of her throat, tasting the flavor of her skin. Continuing my way down over her chest, I paused at the peak of her breast, drawing the hard nipple into my mouth, sucking it in and nibbling with my teeth.

Her back arched and she cried out, her hands coming up to caress my shoulders then delve into my hair. She held me to her and I thought I could spend the rest of my days doing nothing but lavishing her with attention and tasting the exquisite sweetness that was Bella. I switched to the other nipple, giving it the same attention as I gave its mate while my fingers played with the one I'd just left.

She was moaning and crying out, her hips pumping forward against my torso, when I continued my path south. I couldn't wait any longer to taste her sweet honey, knowing it would taste a million times better than her skin. The undiluted essence of Bella.

I paused over her, my eyes taking in the beauty that was her core, pink and wet and ready for me. My cock twitched, wanting to be sheathed inside her, but I pushed the urge away. I wanted to taste her first. I breathed deep, drawing her sweet floral scent into my lungs, better than the purest oxygen. Bending down, I ran my tongue over her slit, her silky arousal sliding down my throat.

I was right; she did taste a million times better than anything ever had.

Her breathing hitched and her hips thrust against my mouth as I lavished her with attention. "Edward," she moaned as my tongue circled her clit.

Again and again, I lapped at her wet sweetness; savoring it; wondering how I'd ever lived without it, without her. I thrust my fingers into her tight sheath, her muscles clasping onto me with each pass of my tongue.

"Edward," she gasped, her hands tugging on my hair, pulling me up. "Please…stop teasing. I want to feel you in me."

A shudder ran down my spine and my cock twitched and throbbed with the idea of being buried inside her. I gave her one last long, slow lick, my eyes trained on her flushed face as I did so.

She threw her head back and let out another low moan. "Edward! Now!"

I lifted myself from her and crawled up to hover over her body, our chests separated only by a hairsbreadth. "As you wish," I whispered into her ear before taking her lips in a kiss. I positioned myself at her entrance and pushed inside with a slow thrust.

I groaned into her mouth as she moaned into mine. My eyes squeezed shut as I panted in breaths. Being inside her, surrounded by her moist heat was indescribable. She was so tight and wet, grasping me as she did, and it felt as though she'd been made just for me. We fit together perfectly. It was a struggle not to lose it right there, like an over-excited virgin.

Her hands ran over my back and down to clasp the cheeks of my ass, her blunt fingernails digging in. "More," she gasped into my ear, her hips thrusting up. "Edward…"

Drawing in all my strength, I willed off my burgeoning orgasm and raised my head from her neck, where I'd let it fall as I got used to being inside her. I slowly pulled out and thrust back in, pausing to make sure my will held strong. When it did, I began a steady rhythm.

Bella met me thrust for thrust, moans and whimpers coming with each one, the most beautiful music to my ears. I watched her face, delighting in each blissful expression that accompanied each thrust, each sound. Running my hand down over her chest, I rolled her nipple between my fingers, eliciting a keening cry as her pussy clenched tightly around me.

Moving my mouth to replace my fingers, suckling her creamy skin, I ran my hand down and pulled up on her leg. She took the hint and wrapped her legs around my waist, her hands coming up to clasp my shoulders.

As I thrust into her grasping heat, I knew I wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. She felt too amazing around me. I delved into her slick folds and her breath caught as I reached my destination. Flicking my fingers over the erect nub of her clit, I felt her tighten around me. I circled and teased, timing the rhythm with my thrusts.

"Edward," she moaned, her head thrown back and her eyes tightly closed, "so close…"

I increased the pressure on her clit and sucked harder on her nipple as I thrust in, fast and hard. She cried my name as she clenched down even tighter around me in her release. Another thrust and my balls tightened, electricity shooting up and down my spine, as I joined her, groaning her name as my body flew out of my control.

She milked me for what seemed like forever, the fiery electricity having its way with my body in an extended orgasm, the likes of which I'd never felt. With a final pulse, I collapsed upon Bella, my head resting in the crook of her neck.

Too tired to move, I fought for breath and the slowing of my heartbeat. Bella held me to her, held me in her, the sound of her own panting breaths brushing past my ear.

"That was amazing," she breathed, her fingers lazily running over the hot skin of my back, a soothing caress.

I smiled at the statement and pressed my lips against the column of her throat. "The best," I replied. Shoring up the last of my will, I lifted myself from her, knowing I had to be too heavy for her to bear for long, and rolled to the side. I cut off her moan of dismay by pulling her into my side, pillowing her head with my shoulder.

We lay there together, curled around one another as our breathing evened out and our bodies relaxed, easing toward slumber.

As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help feeling that my entire world had just shifted off its axis in ways I'd never imagined it could.


	10. Chapter 9

**Hi, all. Here we are, another chapter. There's nothing much I have to say, honestly. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out, but it will be as soon as I possibly can get to it. The links are in my bio. Bethaboo is the best beta ever and should be nominated for saint status for dealing with my neurotic tendencies, so go give her some love. And now, onto the chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**RPOV**

"You know, you're going to have to talk to him at some point this evening," the irritating voice said practically as I tapped my fingernails on the bar, waiting impatiently for my drink.

In reply, I ignored Mike, barely able to keep from rolling my eyes and sneering. Clearly, he was neglecting to see how big the club was, and just how much I wanted to forget that Emmett the Grizzly-Man even existed. I'd always had the ability to completely ignore whatever I wanted to. If I didn't want to notice it, it simply didn't exist.

Right now, Emmett was what I wanted to ignore.

Now if I could just apply my considerable skill to doing that. He was proving to be the most difficult thing I'd ever had to do this with. No matter what I did, I couldn't help noticing him on some level.

And to say that pissed me off would be a massive understatement.

I hated that in the twenty-four plus hours we'd known each other, he'd wormed his way under my skin more than any other had done in a much longer span of time. His presence had taken up residence inside me and refused to get out. But make no mistake…it would come out. I'd find some way to get rid of it. I just had to try harder.

It would be easier once we returned to Seattle, I was sure. Here in Las Vegas, our two groups had banded together to partake of the city. _And whose fault is that, Rosalie?_ my inner voice queried insidiously. I tried to block it out as best I could, as I'd been trying to block out so many things since that disastrous dinner the night before. _Oh, please! Like that's going to work with me. You know you're the one who brought this about._

Yes, it was essentially my fault The Girls had taken to hanging out with The Boys—why Mike always had to give groups names was beyond me—but that didn't mean I needed to put up with it much longer. Once we returned home, there wouldn't be much need for us all to hang out together. Alice and Jasper and Bella and Edward could go out on their own with no fear of ditching me on vacation. Hell, Mike and Emmett, who had clearly hit it off over the course of the afternoon, could go out and play with their pixie sticks of perverted enjoyment all they wanted. While they all did whatever they wanted, I'd go out and not subject myself to the King Dumbass of all Dumbasses. I'd find someone worth my time; someone I could have an actual relationship with.

"Hey, Rose," Mike's voice cut back through my attention. "How's that ignoring thing coming for you?"

I focused my eyesight and realized I'd been staring at our reserved table this entire time. At Emmett. _Damn it!_ I mentally cursed. _Why does that keep happening?_ Once again, I felt a pang of anger at the bulky man-child for attracting my attention like a magnet.

How could I still want him after what he did?

Thankfully, the bartender finally returned with my drink and I slapped the payment and his tip down on the bar and left, sipping the screwdriver as I left. I had to get away from Mike and Emmett and their obvious intention of driving me insane over the course of the evening.

I snuck a quick glance back at our reserved table and noticed that Alice and Jasper were right where they'd been the majority of the evening, except for a few brief bouts of dancing. They were sitting so close she was practically sitting in his lap and they were talking about…something. How they could manage to keep a conversation so private in such an un-private atmosphere was beyond me. I just didn't get it. I also didn't get how Alice couldn't see just how into her Jasper truly was. From our conversation while we all got ready for this horrible evening, she'd honestly believed he looked at her as a friend and nothing more. She would be proven wrong eventually, however, when Jasper inevitably made his move.

Edward and Bella, meanwhile, were nowhere to be found. They'd disappeared a while ago and hadn't been seen since. Despite my own pissy mood, I still felt happy for her. It was obvious that she and Edward liked each other and I was glad she'd finally stopped paying attention to her own self-doubts and took a chance with the gorgeousness that was Edward. I hoped that, wherever they were now, they were having a better time than I was.

I could feel Emmett's vivid blue eyes trained on me, as they had been all night, and I resisted the urge to glance over at him as I stalked around the edge of the dance floor. Each time I'd looked, it had only seemed to encourage him to keep staring, to hope that he still had a chance. I could practically see the fruitless hope brightening his eyes through the pout that been on his boyish face the entire evening once he'd figured out I was ignoring him.

_You know that Mike is right and you're going to have to talk to him eventually,_ my inner voice calmly pointed out once again.

_No I don't and why the hell are you on his side?_

_I'm your subconscious; I know more about you than you do yourself. And you want to forgive him._

_What? I do not!_

_You do to. That's why you're having so much trouble ignoring him. Deep down inside, you don't want to ignore him._

_Oh, shut up!_

_Snappy comeback, Ms. Denial! The sooner you accept what I say as the truth, the sooner you can be happy._

_Why don't you just—_Dear Lord…I was talking to myself!

Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I took another sip of my screwdriver as my eyes landed on a thick shock of blond hair. I studied the figure of the man the hair belonged to; big and brawny, golden tan skin, bright gray eyes. Yes, he'd do quite nicely. What better way to get rid of one man than by finding a new one?

I sashayed over to him with my best sexy smile. "Hey, I'm Rose. Come dance with me. I refuse to take no for an answer."

Big and Blond chuckled and stood. "Then who am I to say no?" As I led the way to the dancing mass of people, he bent down a little to speak into my ear. "My name is Charles, by the way."

I turned and wrapped my arms around him as the sound system began blaring a new song. "It's my pleasure," I replied, feeling his thick, warm arms wrap themselves around my waist.

As we moved to the music, he looked down into my face with an easy smile. Though there was something about it that set me on edge, almost like I was amusing him in some way that I didn't comprehend. I hated not being in the know.

_What's wrong with me? Why do I feel like this? I'm going crazy now._

I tucked myself closer into his frame, doing my best to ignore the lyrics of Rihanna's newest song and how they suddenly made more sense to me. Nothing I'd encountered yet this evening had made me feel at ease, so it was no wonder the lyrics were striking home.

Instead, I looked into Charles's pretty grey eyes. They held just a hint of blue in them, though not enough for my personal tastes. His thick shoulders were a little too broad as well. Too many muscles showed themselves through his form-fitting long-sleeved shirt. He must be a serious gym rat.

An image of my ideal entered my mind: Tall, but not too tall; well-defined muscles, but not too brawny; bright blue eyes in a boyish, dimpled face…

_Damn it!_ The image in my mind was Emmett. He was rotting my mind!

_We're in the city of wonder, ain't gonna play nice, watch out, you might just go under. Better think twice; your train of thought will be altered, so if you must falter be wise: your mind is in Disturbia._

I turned my attention back to Charles. He was looking down at me with a smile that couldn't be mistaken as anything other than amusement. "What?" I asked warily, narrowing my violet-blue eyes on him. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Oh, no reason," he replied, though his tone indicated the exact opposite. "It's just…are you going to admit the reason you asked me to dance?"

"I don't know what you mean," I informed him, still looking at him suspiciously. I could only imagine what he was running through his mind.

"You can go ahead and say it," he stated simply. "I don't mind that you're only dancing with me to make your boyfriend jealous."

"'Make my boyfriend jealous'? I don't have a boyfriend!" How could he possibly think I was trying to make anyone jealous?

_That's because you are!_ my inner voice sang to me.

"Well, then, what do you call that big guy with the curly hair who's been giving you moon eyes all night? You know, the one you're so obviously trying to ignore?" he questioned. "As a matter of fact, he's probably watching us right now, jealous as anything."

Against my better judgment, I looked over Charles's shoulder and my eyes immediately locked with Emmett's. He was staring at us, the most adorable pout on his face, even as his eyes blazed with anger as I cuddled up with someone who wasn't him.

A flash of satisfaction flooded me at seeing how he was affected, seeing me with someone else. Until I felt that, I hadn't even realized that was what I was trying to do. I thought I'd just been trying to forget him.

"So, is he?" Charles looked entirely too smug for my satisfaction. "Don't front, I know you were looking."

"Fine. Yes, he is," I responded, fully aware my tone had gotten snippier. This stranger was forcing me to face something I'd been blissfully unaware of. Just minutes ago I was convinced I'd be able to ignore Emmett like I could anything else I didn't want anything to do with.

But, for some godforsaken reason, I couldn't.

_It's a thief in the night to come and grab you; it can creep up inside you and consume you; a disease of the mind, it can control you…_

"Don't shoot the messenger," he commented glibly. "I just thought you should realize that you and he are playing games. How can you win, after all, if you aren't even aware of what's happening?"

I rolled my eyes and looked over his shoulder again. Mike had drawn Emmett's attention away from Charles and me. They were talking about something, but it was the look on Emmett's face that struck me. He looked dejected, as though someone had just killed his puppy. I knew I was the one who had metaphorically done it. It appeared as though Mike was trying to bolster his spirits, was giving him a pep talk.

With a sigh, I closed my eyes. Emmett was definitely different than any other guy I'd met in the past. I couldn't ignore him; he made me angrier than anyone else I'd ever met; and seeing the pain and sadness in his face, caused by me, pulled on my heartstrings.

I was screwed.

I was going to have to talk to him.

"I think I rather would've remained ignorant," I grumbled, ignoring Charles's laugh.

"Someday you won't be saying that. Someday you'll be grateful," he said. I hated how he sounded so sure of that. "Come on; think about whatever you're mad at him about. It can't be that bad. You can forgive him."

I didn't want to know how he'd guessed what was going on between us. "Could you forgive someone who tried to ruin your business by calling the cops on you?"

He winced at my question, though did give it a bit of thought. "If I cared about them and knew they were sorry…then yes. I probably could."

"But how would you know they were really sorry and not just saying the words to get into your pants?"

At that, he laughed, and I couldn't really fault him for that. Were our places reversed, I probably would've laughed, too. "I suppose they'd have to prove it in some way. I'm not sure how, but it could be done."

I thought about that silently for a few minutes. I wasn't sure if I could ever forgive Emmett for what he did, or if I could ever believe that he was sorry, but I'd have to find some way to make peace with it. If just for our friends and their burgeoning relationships. And, I had to admit, for myself, as well. Holding grudges was something I thought I'd long ago grown out of.

The song came to a close and merged into the next one. Charles led me back to his table and I grabbed my screwdriver, quickly downing the last of it. Damn it; I missed ignorant bliss. "I would say thanks for the dance, but it would've been better without all the talking."

He threw his head back and laughed at that, yet another cause for a roll of the eyes. He truly was a strange man. "Probably, but it was still entertaining for me."

"Tell me, why are you doing this? Why 'help' a stranger out like you have?" That was one thing I didn't understand. What business was any of this to him?

"I've spent a good portion of my adult life at clubs observing people and I've seen your situation—or one similar to it—many times before. Sometimes it ends well, sometimes it doesn't," he explained. "So I figured I'd give you the benefit of my knowledge. Besides, I was bored."

He was bored. "Right. Thanks, I guess. But for now…I need a drink like you wouldn't believe." I turned and returned to the bar and got myself a hurricane—I had a feeling the extra alcohol would come in handy—then stalked back to the reserved table.

Alice and Jasper were still oblivious to anything but each other—if those two could bottle that type of focus, they could make a mint—but Emmett and Mike both looked up at me. "You have five minutes," I informed him with a jerk of my head to get him to follow me.

I stopped in an alcove a few feet away and spun around to face him. The look on his face was at once hopeful and wary. Mike was standing a few feet away, looking silently encouraging. Idly, I wondered how much of what Emmett had in mind was his idea and how much was Mike with his hand up the big man's ass controlling the puppetry. I took a sip of my drink and stared at Emmett pointedly, silently urging him to speak his piece.

"Rosie, I am so sorry for trying to sabotage your garage," he began, obviously thinking it was best that he get right to the point. "I know you don't believe me, but I know I can make it up to you."

"And you have something in mind that will prove your sincerity?"

"Yes, I do."

"Tell me."

* * *

**APOV**

"You did not do that," I protested through my laughter.

"I did, I had to!" Jasper replied, his cheeks holding a rosy glow of embarrassment. "I was double dog dared. I couldn't back out without losing any and all credibility. I was only twelve and my decision to go through with it or not would stick with me the rest of my school career. So I walked up to Maria and dropped my pants. Right there on the playground in front of all her friends and at least half our class."

I burst out laughing once again. "And then what happened? What did she do?"

"Well, after I pulled my pants up, she stared me straight in the eye and asked me to be her boyfriend."

"She didn't? What did you say?"

"She really did. I don't know what it was or why she did it. But I thought it was kind of cool that she wasn't those prissy little girls who would get offended by a bare-ass moon, so I said yes."

"And how'd that turn out for you?"

"Oh, I wish I'd backed out of the dare. It was a nightmare…she was an absolute tyrant. You know you see those characters in movies and television, that little old married couple where the wife has henpecked her husband so hard, he's afraid to do anything without her permission? She's that wife. And she scared the crap out of me."

I winced sympathetically. I couldn't picture Jasper being that henpecked husband, but he'd been twelve and Maria had been his first girlfriend. At least he'd learned from experience. "At least your reputation went untarnished," I said optimistically, trying to accentuate the positive.

"It turns out it wouldn't have mattered if I'd had a sorry rep. My parents and I moved to Seattle six months later. Obviously, because of the distance that would be separating us, Maria and I broke up. From what I heard, she hadn't remained single for long. Oh, I felt so bad for Alec, but a part of me couldn't help but be glad that I was free! Besides, his twin sister, Jane, was a huge witch, so he had the practice under his belt."

Chuckling again, I couldn't help but be glad that it had turned out well for him. "Tell me, did you get your second girlfriend by mooning her?"

"Decidedly not. What I learned from that entire experience is that if you moon a girl and she wants to date you…run in the opposite direction as fast as you possibly can!"

I had absolutely no experience with such a situation, but it stood to reason that he was probably right with the advice. "At least you learned from the situation."

"I did." He reached for his glass and took a drink. "I showed you mine, now you show me yours. What was your most embarrassing moment?"

I looked at him silently for a few moments then shook my head. "I don't want to. Mine is pretty mundane next to that."

He shook his head and gave me a stern look. I had to admit, that expression on his face was kind of cute…in a very hot way. "You can't do that. The agreement was that I'd show you mine if you showed me yours. I showed mine, now it's your turn. I'm not going to take no for an answer, missy!"

He was right, and I hated it. I was generally a woman of my word and going back on it now would completely undermine my perception of myself. And his of me. "Fine, but don't blame me if I bore you to sleep."

"You could never bore me," Jasper replied, his smooth voice impassioned. His sea-blue eyes were lit with conviction and I felt a little uneasy, uncertain what it meant.

"We'll see," I replied, certain he could just end up changing his mind. "There was a tradition at my high school where the senior class would get together and place votes for completely pointless awards. Over half the awards were comical and created for the sole purpose of calling someone else's name out on stage. It was stupid, but a lot of fun. You got to skip half a day of classes and hang out in the auditorium goofing off."

"Of course it was fun," he stated with a smirk. "A sanctioned skip day."

"Right," I agreed, then continued. "Well, I'd already won a couple of awards. Most Creative and Most Likely to Have a Life-long Prescription for Sedatives—like I said, many of the awards were stupid and teasing. Anyway, then the hosts of the awards show—Embry and Quil, the class clowns—announces the award for Most Graceful. And he says my name."

A sympathetic expression came over his face as it dawned on him where this story was going.

"So I walked up to the stage, hamming it up as only I could, and climbed up the stairs to the stage…and my foot caught on one of the steps and I face planted into the stage."

"Ouch!"

"Yeah. So I got up and took a bow, playing it off as nothing, and start back across the stage. And then halfway to the podium…"

"You tripped again."

"Yeah. Not my brightest moment. Still, I got up amid the laughter and cat calls and pressed on. I made a little speech, playing off my sudden bout of clumsiness and went to leave the stage."

"Not again?" he questioned in surprise as I paused yet again.

"Again. Only this time, I fell off the stage. I couldn't believe it. I just could _not_ believe it. My arm was hurting, badly, and I ended up with a huge bruise that lasted for what felt like forever and a sprained wrist. So not fun."

"I'll bet," he agreed. He studied my face silently for a few minutes then spoke up. "I can tell by that blush that you're not telling me everything."

I reached up and touched my cheeks; they were hot to the touch and probably blushing red enough to rival Bella in full embarrassment mode. "Please don't make me tell you. Isn't that embarrassing enough?"

"Hey, I told you about mooning the prettiest and scariest girl in my sixth grade class. You have to tell me what happened next."

"Okay, fine," I replied with a huff. I could tell form the look in his eyes that he wasn't going to give this up. "So I was lying on the ground and the auditorium was deathly silent. I think everyone was in complete and utter shock. So I decided to do what I had been doing since that first trip on the stairs. I got up and played it off as though it was nothing. I took a few bows, thanked the audience for being there, you know, full Diva mode as though I'd just given an Oscar-worthy performance. I played it up to the fullest. All while the guys were extremely amused and the girls were all embarrassed on my behalf, or so I thought."

"And…?" he prompted.

"And then I noticed Rosalie. She was gesturing for me to look down, so I did…and realized that my tube top was now functioning as a belt. I flashed every single one of my classmates. I was mortified. How could I play off flashing my entire class for nearly five minutes straight?"

"I'm so sorry," Jasper said genuinely, though I could tell he kind of wanted to laugh about it. I couldn't blame him for that, looking back on it now, it was funny though no less humiliating.

"That's not the worst of it, though."

"What was?"

"Later that afternoon at the clinic while I got a brace put on my sprained wrist, Rosalie told me that the top didn't come down when I fell off the stage. It started to come down with my first trip at the stairs. Came completely off on the second. And I didn't notice it until after the third. At least ten minutes of flashing."

Jasper burst out laughing, though immediately tried to fend it off out of respect to me.

"No, go ahead. As horrible an experience as it was, it is kind of funny. And it did garner me my fourth award of the day. Created at the very last minute. I was awarded the very first Best Flash award. My parents would be so proud."

"I have to say, your moment wins. Hands down."

"Thank you; just the contest I've always wanted to win," I chuckled and shook my head sarcastically. Somehow, the story was a little less embarrassing when I shared it with him. "It's a good thing the ceremony wasn't taped. Quil and Embry probably would've sent it in to _America's Funniest Home Videos_ and won first prize."

"Or worse," Jasper replied, a small smile upturning the corners of his lips. "Posted it on YouTube."

"They totally would've done that, too," I had to admit. "I really don't need my bare chest being ogled at by thousands of YouTube viewers a day. It's bad enough it happened once, let alone every day."

"I'll make sure you never have to worry about that happening to you," he said. "I'll never give you cause for distress on that front."

Again I felt as though there was some deeper meaning in his words that was just going right over my head. It wasn't a feeling I was used to, nor was it one I exactly liked. "Thank you," I replied, trying not to let my vague sense of confusion show. "That's good to know."

As if sensing my uncertainty, he merely smiled and let it pass without comment. "It looks like we've officially been ditched," he said a few moments later as his eyes passed over the dancing throng.

I followed his gaze and realized that not one of our friends was in sight and I honestly couldn't recall seeing them in quite a while. Of course, I'd been too occupied speaking with Jasper, so that mystery was explained. "I'm sure they're around here somewhere." They had to be. They wouldn't have all left without telling us, would they? I was pulled away from my question by Jasper standing up and closing his hand over mine.

"Come on, come dance with me," he cajoled in his smooth voice, pulling me up with that as much as his soft, warm grip.

All thought of our friends immediately left my mind as I followed him onto the dance floor as he held me close to him. I liked the feel of his tall, hard length pressed against my much shorter frame. It made me feel safe and protected, something I hadn't even known I wanted to feel.

Together, we swayed slowly to the beat of a song that was moving much quickly for our dance. I opened my mouth to mention it as the song switched to one that fit a bit better. Smiling, I relaxed into his hold and rested my cheek on his chest.

My thoughts from yesterday afternoon filtered through my mind, about placing him on my list for soulmate compatibility, but I pushed it away. Only this time I didn't do it with the mistaken belief of him being a consummate gambler; we'd cleared that up at dinner last night. That had been his first time at a casino, just like it'd been mine. We'd essentially popped our casino cherries together.

No, the only reason I wasn't putting him on my list now was because I was getting absolutely no encouraging vibes from him. When I'd probed my instincts on the topic of Jasper, I got no inkling that he saw me as anything other than a friend. My gut has yet to be wrong, so despite how closely he was holding me now, he didn't feel anything other than friendship toward me.

"_Turn the lights off in this place, and she shines just like a star. And I swear I know her face, I just don't know who you are."_ I felt Jasper's breath brush over my hair as he lowered his head and began to sing the song's lyrics to me.

I lifted my head from his chest and looked up at him, my brow furrowed in puzzlement. His beautiful eyes once again held the depth of meaning that I'd caught glimpses of throughout the night and for the first time I questioned my instincts. Could he really feel something more for me than friendship? Mentally shaking my head, I decided that it just wasn't possible. I'd never been wrong before. Especially when it came to guys.

Our gazes remained locked and our bodies remained tight together as he continued sing the song to me. _"And I just can't pull myself away, under the spell I can't break."_

His head lowered toward mine and it was as though he was moving in slow motion. My mind was simultaneously whirling and standing stock still in surprise, uncertain if this was actually happening and he was really about to kiss me. His firm lips ghosted softly over mine and they felt like the most sumptuous velour ever created. He paused momentarily before bringing our mouths together again, more firmly this time. His lips were moist, but not wet and slid sensuously over my own before settling over my bottom lip, sucking it lightly.

After a few moments, his tongue came out to play, trailing over my lower lip, tasting of me before slipping through and entered my mouth. He tasted of cinnamon and spices and the sour apple of his flavored martini. I hummed low in my throat as my tongue caressed his, my body light years ahead of my mind in processing the fact that he was actually kissing me.

The kiss went on for what seemed like both forever and not nearly long enough; it stole my breath away. He pulled back slowly and my head spun from the kiss. If I hadn't been holding on to Jasper so tightly, I probably would've swayed on my feet.

_Best. Kiss. Ever._

He took a breath and allowed me to attempt to process what had just happened. We continued to sway to the song, which he picked up and sang once more to me. _"I can feel her on my skin; I can taste her on my tongue. She's the sweetest taste I've seen; the more I get, the more I want."_ He stared into my eyes and I felt myself tremble as I felt a depth and honesty to his words that made me think it was true for him.

I waited a few beats before my mouth finally obeyed my orders to open and speak. "You just kissed me?"

He chuckled softly and held me closer. "I did."

"But you don't see me that way; you only see me as a friend."

"Who says I don't see you that way?" he questioned with raised eyebrows. "I think that kiss pretty much proves that I like you more than that."

"Bu—but my instincts are never wrong," I stammered at the risk of sounding slow. "They told me that you only wanted friendship."

The look in his eyes was one of deep amusement. "There's a first time for everything," he said, a soft smile playing with his lips. "But I actually have a theory about that if you want to hear it."

Mutely, I nodded my head. I couldn't believe that I'd been led so astray.

"Think back to the past day," he instructed calmly as he gazed into my bemused face. "You've been so focused on Emmett and Rosalie's drama and Edward and Bella's cuteness that your instincts haven't been able to focus on anything else. Especially on yourself."

My brow furrowed as I mulled over his theory. I much preferred believing in that than in my instincts screwing up for the first time. "You like me?"

His husky laugh caressed my ears once again. "I really like you," he assured me. "So much more than I've ever thought it possible to like someone."

A bright smile crossed my lips and I jumped up into him, twining my arms around his neck as the truth of his words finally settled in. I squeezed tightly, only loosening my arms when I heard his grunt. Suffocating a potential mate did not make for a long-lived relationship.

"I take it you like me, too," he breathed easily into my ear as he lightly squeezed me back.

I giggled with glee and nodded my head against his. "I do. I really, really do like you." To emphasize my point, I brought his lips back to mine and showed him just how much I liked him.

* * *

**EmPOV**

I removed the key card from the door to my suite and held it open, silently following Rosalie into communal room. Neither of us had spoken a single word in the past ten minutes, both lost to our own thoughts.

Mike's suggestion had actually worked. Sort of. I couldn't believe it. A little headway had been made, more than I'd thought would happen. I wasn't fooling myself; there was no instant fix. It would take time to prove to my Rosie that I felt bad for what I had done and that I truly cared for her.

I more than cared for her. I loved her. I know we'd only known each other for two days, but my mother had always told me that love worked in mysterious ways. Was it so odd, then, that it could also work quickly? I should've known that I was falling hard and deep when I couldn't get her out of my mind after I first saw her on the plane to Vegas.

Never before had a woman ever had that sort of effect on me. I'd had plenty of girlfriends in the past and not a single one of them had ever ensnared me as thoroughly as she had with just her very existence. It was as though I hadn't truly been alive before she'd entered my life and now that I knew her, I couldn't fathom being without her.

I just had to convince her of how I felt. I'd spend every single moment of the rest of my life attempting to prove it to her, over and over again.

If she'd let me.

I opened my mouth to offer her something to drink or something—I wasn't good at this awkward stuff—when she whirled around and pinned me with her violet-blue gaze. "We tell no one of this," she demanded, her voice hard as steel and her finger pointing at me. I was certain that had I been standing within reach, she would've been poking me with her long fingernail.

Her demand pricked against my own wishes and desires. I wanted to stand atop the tallest building and yell my love for her for all to hear. But the ball was in her court, I had already resigned myself to going at her pace. I had a lot to make up for and this was the only way to do so. "Whatever you say," I promised with all sincerity.

She looked into my eyes, probably trying to ascertain whether I was being truthful. After a couple minutes, she must've found it as she firmly nodded her head once and stepped closer. "Good," she said, stopping in front of me before clutching the back of my head and pulling my lips to hers.

Her soft lips were searing as they pressed against mine and her nails lightly scratched along my scalp in sharp contrast to the softness of her tongue as it tangled with my own. The kiss turned feral as I met the passion she infused into the kiss with equal amounts of my own. My heart pounded like a jackhammer, powered by the feel of her long, lithe body pressed tightly against my own and rubbing against the erection that had popped up the moment our lips had met.

I groaned as one of her hands left my hair and trailed down my back and around to wedge between our bodies, ultimately slipping under the hem of my untucked wifebeater and hooking into the waistband of my khaki cargo shorts, tugging me to follow her as she walked backward, obviously wanting to take this out of the communal room.

Without breaking this kiss, I reached down and lifted her up into my arms so I could take her to my room. I didn't think Jasper would appreciate us getting freaky on his bed. Rosalie hummed in approval as we entered my room and I kicked the door shut behind us before I let her slide back down my body to stand on the floor.

She wasted no time in pushing the work shirt down my arms to land on the floor and immediately began working on the wifebeater, those long nails of hers scraping over my abs, sending shockwaves shooting straight to my cock.

I smoothed my hands over her bare back, the warmth of her soft skin seeping into me. We broke the kiss momentarily as she whipped the wifebeater over my head. Our lips reconnected with mutual hunger, the lust we'd felt for each other—lust that had only grown since yesterday morning—grew and expanded like a flash fire. Her hands wasted no time in running up over my chest and back down my abs to the waistband of my shorts, furiously working on the button.

Angel Emmett returned full force and I slid my arms around her to rest over her fingers, stilling their action. I pulled away from the kiss and looked down into her irritated eyes. "Rosie, baby…are you sure you want to do this?" I questioned while Devil Emmett groaned at me. "You haven't fully forgiven me yet and I don't want you to—"

"Emmett," she growled, sounding sexier than anything despite the aggravation in the rough sound, "shut up and fuck me!"

_Listen to her, man,_ the devil prompted, holding the angel in a headlock to keep him from expounding on my own doubts.

I looked into her eyes for a few moments, just as she had done earlier, searching for any sign of doubt or uncertainty. I could find only annoyance and a heaping helping of lust. After a moment of indecision I let go of her hands and ignored my own doubts as her fingers quickly picked up where they left off and she pulled down on my zipper, my shorts falling to ground with a push.

She smiled up at me with an underlying hint of determination. I leaned down and kissed her red lips with gentleness and affection, wishing I could be convinced of this being what was best for us right now. Again, I reminded myself of my vow to let her set the pace. I had to trust in her now to know what was best.

I ran my hands up over her back again and to the top tie of her sinful dress. Her bikini from earlier in the day hadn't prepared me for just how sexy she looked in full-on animal print; it was almost a shame to peel the skin-tight dress off her. Unfastening the knot, I smoothed my hands over her shoulders and down her chest, pushing the silky fabric as I went. I paused over her breasts, my thumbs caressing her pebbled nipples before continuing south to push the dress over the curve of her hips and down her long, smooth legs.

Now we were equal, both standing there in only boxers and panties, and I pulled back from the kiss, panting. I was forced to stifle a groan as I took in all her golden skin and bare breasts; she was so damn gorgeous I was surprised that goddesses like her deigned to walk the earth with all us unworthy folks. My erection throbbed painfully at the sight and I began mentally reciting baseball stats to take my mind off it. It wasn't working.

_Of course not!_ the little devil scoffed. _Look at her. She's hot!_

I closed my eyes, concentrating harder on the stats—and on ignoring that annoying little devil—and tensed when I felt Rose's nails scraping over my chest and abs. The scratching sensation was followed and soothed by her moist lips. The contrast did absolutely nothing to help my below-the-belt situation. Especially once her fingers slipped around the waistband of my boxers and she tugged once again, leading me over to the bed.

Opening my eyes, I looked down into her face. The expression she wore was fixated, intent. In this situation, knowing what she was so intent on doing, it was the sexiest thing ever. Her lips were swollen from our kisses and her eyes glowed with determination and anticipation.

Again I felt a stab of doubt as Angel Emmett elbowed Devil Emmett in the hey-nanny-nannies and got out of the headlock. _Does she really want this?_ he questioned. _Less than an hour ago she'd as soon kill you as look at you._

What was worse, that was true. And I had deserved it; I deserved her anger and disappointment. I had screwed up. I'd taken rash actions in a moment of irrationality and threatened her business, though I hadn't known it was hers at the time. She had no reason to trust me. She had no reason to even speak with me, let alone sleep with me. And she knew that, too. She wasn't stupid; she and I both knew she hadn't forgiven me. And she sure as hell knew that she didn't have to be doing this to prove some point.

There were only two reasons I could come up with for this moment right now. Either she really did want this, for whatever reason, or she only believed she did and would end up regretting it at some point in the future.

But which was it?

_You need to make sure this is what she wants, Emmett,_ the angel directed.

_No, jackass,_ the devil countered, a hint of pained groaning in his voice from his painful encounter with his rival. _What you need to do is trust her to know what she wants. And what she wants right now is Captain Winky and his two nutty friends!_

"Come on, Emmett," she said in a throaty purr, the sound pure erotic bliss to my ears. "Stop screwing around."

I closed my eyes again and took a deep breath. All this doubt and inner turmoil was giving me a headache. This was why I'd always tried to remain aloof and superficial. Deep thoughts were a bitch. Both the Angel and the Devil had made good points. I needed to be sure of what I was doing, but I also needed to trust her to know what was best for her. I needed to trust her. Hadn't I vowed to love her and care for her to the best of my abilities? That I would be patient and never give her cause for worry or disappointment again? That I would let her set the pace?

And this was what she'd chosen. I had to trust in her knowing her own mind, knowing what she wanted.

Taking another deep breath, I balled up all my doubt and worry and indecision and pushed it into the deepest, darkest corner of my mind and locked it up behind a wall. I would trust in her and do as she instructed and earn her trust back, little by little, showering her with my love and caring and remorse and eventually make things all better.

If this was her first step, I'd take it.

The doubt locked up and my purpose decided upon, I willingly followed her onto the bed when she sat, laying myself beside her and taking her lips with mine once again, her arms rising to encircle my neck. A soft moan left her throat as my tongue caressed hers and my hand ran over her curves teasing and stroking her smooth golden skin.

I rolled and pinched her soft pink nipples between my fingers as she squirmed against me, the most delightful sounds coming from her as I did. I shuddered as she ran her hands over my back, delving under the waistband of my boxers to clutch my ass, her hips thrusting up into me in impatience.

"We've had enough foreplay already, Emmett!" Rosalie growled, emphasizing her words by digging those glorious nails of her into me, the bite a mingled pleasure and pain.

"Damn it, Rosie," I huffed in reply.

"Please," she scoffed. "I think we're ready for the main act. I, for one, have been turned on since yesterday! Even when I'm pissed at you I'm wet!"

I groaned at the image that bombarded my mind at her statement then shook my head. "We only get our first time once and I want to make it something to remember!"

"Screw 'something to remember'!"

When the hell had I become the woman and she the man? "Rosie, baby," I grumbled, "I want to do this right."

"Just get on with it!"

I dropped my head onto her shoulder, resisting the urge to argue further. Damn it! I only wanted to give her a night to remember. I didn't want her to look back on this night and regret it or think that it was lacking in any way. I should've known that being with my Golden Goddess would be one of the most frustrating things I'd ever encounter in my life.

Rosalie sighed in annoyance and squirmed against me, silently backing up her earlier demand.

With a sigh of my own, I smoothed my hand between us, down over her stomach and under the silky fabric of her panties. Her breathing hitched as I traced through her soft curls and into the wet heat beyond. She impatiently undulated her hips against my hand, accompanying it with another dig of her nails into me.

She wasn't going to be happy taking the scenic route, no matter how I tried to take it slow with her. So why was I continuing to fight it?

I pulled away from her, ignoring her irritated sound, and curled my fingers beneath her panties, stripping them from her in one fluid move before stripping my boxers off myself. Her cat that ate the canary grin positively lit up the room as she immediately understood that I was giving in and giving her what she wanted.

I settled between her thighs and stilled, looking into her beautiful eyes for a few moments, again looking for anything that might indicate she wanted to take things slower and again finding nothing. Gently taking her lips with my own, I slowly thrust into her, stifling my groan of contentment.

Even with all my crap and doubts, she felt perfect beneath me, around me. Her fingernails dug into my shoulders as she gave a happy mewl. _As long as I'm making her happy,_ I thought, pulling out again before thrusting back in again, starting up a slow rhythm.

Listening to her soft sounds and the fingers digging into me, I used them as a guide, gradually speeding up my pace. I could feel her clenching tighter around me as she got closer to cumming. Slipping my hand between us, I reached down to circle her clit with my fingers, her sounds rising in volume as she got closer. With a pinch to her sensitive flesh, she exploded around me with a high, keening call.

My eyes clenched shut as I shuddered and came into her with a hoarse shout, fire exploding through me at the feel of her tightly clasping flesh and the harsh scrape of her nails as they clawed down my back.

Collapsing atop her, I breathed in gasping pants, the occasional tremor and spasm rocking through me. I could feel her own harsh breaths brushing past my ear as she recovered her faculties as well. Belatedly realizing she'd have an easier time were I not crushing her, I flopped over to the side, turning my head to watch her glowing, satisfied face.

Together, our breaths slowed and I reached over to pull her to me…only to have her pull away. "Where are you going?" I questioned, pulling myself up as I watched her redress.

She waited a few beats before answering, finally looking at me. I couldn't decipher the look in her eyes and my heart clenched. "Going back to my suite," she explained slowly as though she were speaking to a child. "Remember the promise. No one is to know about this."

I groaned and flopped back down, ignoring the twinge in my back from her scratch marks. That damn promise. "I remember," I replied. "I won't tell anyone until you give the okay." If she ever did.

"Good." She finally smiled and, fully dressed, walked over to me and the bed and leaned down, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"I wish you'd stay," I told her, internally cringing at just how much I sounded like a woman in a bad melodrama.

"Don't," she commanded, rising and making her way to the door. "I'll talk to you later."

She slowly opened the door and looked out to make sure she was unobserved then left. A short time later, I heard the outer door to the suite open and close as she left the suite entirely.

_Her pace,_ I reminded myself as I rolled over onto my stomach, taking the pressure off my sore back. _You promised. All at her pace._

Thinking back over the night, I felt conflicted. I'd scored both wins and losses tonight, but I didn't know which column had tallied the most marks. It was probably too close to call.

I'd had both the best and the worst sex of my life tonight. The best because I was with the woman of my dreams. But it was also the worst because I'd never felt so hollow afterward and I suspected it had to do with her remaining anger, hurt, and resentment.

I knew I should've held out and waited a while longer. She couldn't help but come to regret what had happened between us tonight.

Opening my eyes, I looked at the rose engraved band of gold encircling my finger.

This was not how I'd pictured my honeymoon night turning out.


	11. Chapter 10

**Hey, all. Long time no post. I'm sorry about that; work's been nuts and uncooperative. But better late than never, right? Since I've permanently picked up some more hours, I'm not sure how often new chapters will come out, but I want to say right now that I am **_**not**_** giving up on the story. Especially not since I now have, like, 95% of the rest of it roughly planned out.**

**But enough of that, I know y'all want to get onto the chapter. So…the links are in my profile and the new chapter is below. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**BPOV**

This wasn't real. It couldn't be real. There was no way it could be true.

I rubbed at my closed eyes, fervently praying that I was just hallucinating on account of the hangover, and slowly reopened them to stare down at my left hand.

Dammit. It was still there.

There, on my left ring finger, a ring. A _wedding_ ring.

I just couldn't believe it. How could I have gotten _married_? How much tequila had I even had?

Too much, obviously.

What, besides a wedding and, apparently, sex, had happened last night? And, just as importantly, who did I marry?

Doing my best to stave off the panic that had started to take hold, I slowly turned my head to look at my husband…or what I could see of him. Lying on his stomach, his head was turned away from me, his limp arm a heavy weight across my torso. The messy bronze hair that fell across the pillow, however, immediately identified him.

Edward.

I couldn't help the sigh of relief that washed over me. At least it was someone I knew and not some skeevy guy I'd met only last night. It didn't take long for the panic to set back in, however. Edward. I'd married Edward. After only knowing him just over twenty-four hours.

Shit.

My entire body was tense, my muscles locked against the panic. My lungs worked overtime as I drew in harsh, gasping breaths, one notch shy of hyperventilation. I struggled to calm down, to quiet myself. If Edward to wake up now, I think I'd pass out. Or die, perhaps of embarrassment.

I'd always known that tequila had a tendency to sneak up on me, the traitor. It lulled me into a false sense of security and then, when I least expected it, _WHAM!_ It hit me where it hurt. In this case, it shoved me down the aisle toward a grown man dressed like Elvis and made me say "I do."

Fucking Jose Cuervo!

Never again. Never, _ever_ again. From this moment on, I was dry. No alcohol would ever again pass my lips. Not even anything cooked with wine. Or even wine vinegar! And while I was at it, not even anything that was a non-alcoholic version of a cocktail.

Good. Now that I'd focused on something else, the panic was receding.

_That's all well and good, but what are you going to do about this predicament?_ a voice that sounded suspiciously like my mother questioned.

My mother. She was the queen of preaching against getting married in your twenties. She was going kill me for doing what she preached against. She would kill me and my body would never be found. Her face—and my own as her victim—would be plastered across every news program; we'd be featured on episodes of _Forensic Files_, _The Investigators_, and perhaps even _Snapped_. And, heaven forbid, if she ran…actors would be hired to play us in reenactments on _America's Most Wanted_. They'd have to extradite her from some far off country. Unless she chose to hide in one of the non-extradition countries.

Light-headedness came over me in a rush, bringing my attention back to my panicked hyperventilation.

I had to get out of here. Especially before Edward woke up…I couldn't deal with this now. I needed to think. I needed to go somewhere I could hyperventilate and have my nervous breakdown in peace.

Now I just had to find a way to get out of here without waking Edward. Or Emmett and Jasper seeing me and alerting the cavalry.

_Must get mind off my panic,_ I frantically thought. _Must think about something else._ I wracked my mind for any thoughts that could qualify and not lead my mind back to the panic. _Let's see…if you choke a smurf, what color does he turn?_

Good, that did it. Now onto what must be done.

Mission number one: Get out of bed.

Shifting my body, I managed to slide an inch beneath the dead weight of Edward's arm. Only to have him mumble unintelligibly and pull me closer to his hard body.

_Dear lord, he's naked!_

Very naked.

It was only through sheer force of will that I kept the panic far enough at bay so I could focus on mission number one. It took what seemed like forever before I was finally able to inch my way out from under Edward's octopus-like arm and free myself.

My victory was short-lived as I rolled right out of the bed and landed on the carpeted floor with a muted thud. I cringed, waiting for Edward to awaken at the sound or his friends to come barging in to see what was going on. Luck was on my side as his breathing remained deep and the door remained closed.

Mission number two: Get dressed.

Getting to my feet, I began searching for my clothes. Purse, check. Shoes, check and on. Dress, check and on. Panties…where the bloody hell were my panties? Had I gone commando last night?

Pausing, I racked my pre-booze memory of the night before. I'd showered, dried off, and…yep, I'd worn panties. They had to be around here somewhere. But where? What in the world had he done with them?

A spot of white caught my eye and I turned. What had we done last night that they'd ended up on the lamp all the way across the room? With a vivid blush, I crossed the room and plucked them down, and quickly drew them up my legs.

I looked around, making sure I had everything of mine, and in the process locked eyes with my reflection in the mirror. Cringing, I was even gladder for the fact that Edward was currently in a sleep coma. I looked like hell; like death warmed over. My dress was wrinkled, making me look like I'd gotten dressed in a hurry and had no clean clothes left to choose from so I just yanked something out of the laundry hamper; my face was red, my eyes a tad bloodshot, and my hair…well, my hair wasn't actually as bad as I was used to in the morning. The usual haystack had stayed away in favor of mussed sex hair. Though I still think Edward did it better.

_Edward did do it,_ my inner voice pointed out with an accompanying blurry flash of last night—the first of what I was sure would be many over the course of the day—of the two of us intertwined with his hands in my hair.

Quickly blocking the voice and image, I turned my mind to more important things. There'd be time enough for that later.

Mission number three: Get the hell out of here. Preferably without being seen.

A quick glance at the clock had me relaxing a little. Surely none of our friends would be up at six-thirty in the morning.

Slowly, I tiptoed to the door, making as little noise as I possibly could. What I really wanted to do was run, but thankfully my better judgment had taken hold. If I had any hope of getting out of here unnoticed, I'd have to go slow and quietly, something that would be impossible if I ran, especially since I'd probably just trip over my feet and end up with a broken arm or leg or some such.

Finally gaining the door, I cracked it open, holding my breath as I did so, praying that the hinges wouldn't squeak, only letting it out when no noise came. Relaxing minutely, I looked through the gap I'd just created and looked into the central living area. Blissfully empty. Both Emmett and Jasper's doors were closed tightly and all was silent.

The coast was clear.

I quickly opened the door just wide enough so I could slip through and shut it silently behind me. Carefully tiptoeing across the central room, I gave all my thoughts to remaining silent and under the radar. Pausing, I glanced back at the three bedroom doors, continuing once I was satisfied that all was the same with no sign of observing life forms. _I might just be able to do this._

On that thought, of course, was when the inevitable finally happened. My foot caught on the leg of one of the end tables book ending the couch and I stumbled. The objects on the table clattered and the lamp shuddered, threatening to fall. Wincing, I reached out to steady the heavy light then quickly checked the bedroom doors again.

Still nothing.

I let out the breath I'd been unaware of holding as relief flooding through me. You just had to love guys who could sleep through anything. Limping my way to the main door, I thankfully made it both silently and without further incident. Casting one last glance toward the bedrooms, I slipped out the door, closing it with an almost silent click behind me. Mission three accomplished.

Mission number four: Get back to my room. Again, preferably without being seen.

I had much less hope for that last bit, but I could still attempt it. If The Girls saw me doing the walk of shame, they wouldn't leave me alone for even a second. They were like sharks in a feeding frenzy the second they realized there was some dirt to be dished. My only hope was that they'd had a late night last night and would still be dead to the world.

It didn't take long to get to the suite; we were all on the same floor, which I found to be both a good and bad thing. Good because I was almost to safety and bad because it was still much too close to Edward and the events—as yet mostly unknown—of last night.

I pressed my ear against the door and didn't hear any movements from within. Luck had to be with me; my friends were nothing if not noisy. With a quick pass of my keycard I was in the suite's front room and hurriedly making my way toward my room. The silence was absolute—not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse—and I was soon ensconced in my blissfully empty room. With a quick flick of my wrist, the door was locked and I leaned back against it, heaving a sigh of relief.

Mission complete. All of them. Now I could kick back and relax.

The large bed beckoned to me, but I resisted its call. I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep and I didn't really want to. I had some thinking that needed to be done. Instead, I headed into the bathroom to shower. Maybe looking more like myself would help me work through the situation I now found myself in.

Letting the hot water rush over me, relaxing my tense muscles, I scoured my brain for any and all memories of the previous night. Everything leading up to entering Pure was clear. Getting dressed, listening to The Girls argue, meeting up with Edward and going to the club ahead of everyone else. It was around the time that everyone else arrived that my memory started getting blurry and blacked out. For many moments, I had images—some out of focus and some preternaturally sharp—but they were unaccompanied by sound, like the speakers in my memory were broken or disconnected.

An endless parade of Tequila Sunrises. Edward and I dancing with me not looking like a complete spaz. A few brief shots of our friends.

The images only got blurrier as I pressed forward.

A crowd of people with a bouncer. Passing through a red, velvet rope into a vivid scarlet room. _The Red Room_, my mind belatedly supplied the name of the VIP room. More Cuervo. Clothed pseudo-sex disguised as dancing. A redhead from the crowd. _Victoria Savage?_

The dimness began to settle in on my memories. Cool air. A cab ride. A pretty little white chapel. Standing before an unfamiliar man who, thankfully, wasn't dressed as Elvis. A very hot kiss; I could actually feel my body pressed up to Edward's, our tongues tangling in a frenzy.

There was nothing but blackness from that point until we were suddenly in Edward's room, entwined—absolutely naked—in his bed. These images were sharp, yet oddly surreal and dreamlike, almost as though I was watching it through someone else's eyes even though my flesh tingled in remembrance of impassioned touches.

My breathing sped up as I felt my body responding to the erotic images and I struggled to bar them from my mind. The water started to chill, dragging me out of my thoughts that last little bit. The memories from that point on wouldn't help me figure out how I had ended up making the walk down the aisle.

Turning off the water and stepping out of the shower, I dressed and brushed out my hair, leaving it to air dry. I didn't want to think anymore, about anything. It would only lead to more confusion and, quite possibly, the Queen Mother of all headaches.

A quick glance at the clock—and the complete silence from the rest of the suite—showed me that I couldn't seek out my friends to distract me. Indeed, I needed to pull myself together more before facing them or have to deal with their inquiries. _Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!_

Grabbing my iPod off the bedside table, I inserted my earbuds and lay down on my bed, hoping some rest could help me gather my composure. Searching for something to take my mind off my problems, I set the little device to play my all my Aerosmith songs on shuffle. The driving beats of one of my favorite bands never failed to help me take my mind off whatever was going on in my life at any given moment. Surely this time would be no different?

A few songs filtered through as I relaxed against the soft mattress and I floated in my own world of thoughtless peace.

_I could stay awake just to hear you breathing; watch you smile while you are sleeping, while you're far away and dreaming. I could spend my life in this sweet surrender; I could stay lost in this moment forever. Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure._

I froze, jolted back from my happy place as the song impinged on my awareness.

Oh, my dear Steven…how could you do this to me?

_I don't want to close my eyes, I don't want to fall asleep 'cause I'd miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing. 'Cause even when I dream of you, the sweetest dream would never do; I'd still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing._

I fumbled around for my iPod and quickly pressed down on the click wheel, skipping ahead to the next random track. Any songs about love wouldn't be helping right now. Love brought marriage to mind and that's what I wanted to forget!

Remaining tense for a few moments, I relaxed again as I recognized another benign song. Crisis averted. Happy place re-attained.

_Full on lust to full on love without no clue; and all I was so unsure of and then came you into my life it served me right. Nobody ever did it quite like you._

Oh, shit. Not again, dammit! Even as I listened in shock, my mind morphed Steven Tyler's words to torture me.

_Yeah, he's beyond beautiful. Yeah, he's never been nobody's fool that you be stuck with. Yeah, it's all about me and you. Believe it or not this love that we got is beyond beautiful._

Okay, that's it. No more Aerosmith. In a few clicks, my entire music collection was being shuffled—surely the rest of my playlist couldn't let me down—and I was back in my happy place.

I probably should've taken the first two instances as a sign to put the iPod away.

_No I can't forget tomorrow when I think of all my sorrow when I had you there but then I let you go. And now it's only fair that I should let you know what you should know._

_I can't live if living is without you; I can't live, I can't give anymore…_

What the hell, Mariah! I looked at the little music device in shock. Was it made by the devil? And how the hell had Mariah Carey gotten on there? I couldn't remember loading it.

I shook it off and quickly hit the skip forward button.

_Last night, I got served a little bit too much of that poison, baby. Last night, I did things I'm not proud of and I got a little crazy. Last night, I met a guy on the dance floor and I let him call me baby._

_And I don't even know his last name. Oh, my momma would be so ashamed. It started off, "Hey cutie, where you from?" and then it turned into, "Oh no, what have I done?" And I don't even know his last name._

Tension seized my body once again. My brain screamed at my fingers to click the button and skip the song, but they didn't obey. Carrie's song spoke to me like it never had before and I wanted nothing more than for her to shut up. I didn't need to hear the parallels between the events of the song and my own life.

The deck was obviously stacked against me. Last night I'd sinned and now the devil was there to torture me.

I listened in mute shock as the song continued, another thought striking me.

I didn't even know my own last name. I got married last night, and I didn't even know my husband's full name!

As the panic set in once again, my fingers finally followed their orders and skipped the second half of the song.

_L is for the way you look at me. O is for the only one I see. V is very, very extraordinary. E is even more than anyone than you adore can…_

I hurriedly turned the iPod off and set it aside. I never knew I had so many damn love songs on there, especially that last song. I had nearly every cover of that song ever made.

Laying in silence, I focused on bringing my breathing back down to a normal level and away from hyperventilation. The hysteria finally beaten back—if still too close for my own comfort—I reached for the remote control to the television. Surely there had to be something suitably non-romantic or wedding-oriented on. Even here in Vegas. Maybe some gory horror flick or testosterone-laded action movie. Or…bingo!

I paused on Comedy Central as a re-airing of Jeff Dunham's first comedy special, _Arguing With Myself_, appeared on the screen. I felt confident that he and his ventriloquist dummies would get me back to my happy place. I grinned as he pulled out Walter, my favorite of his dummies. He reminded me of my Grandpa Arnie. Cranky and opinionated, yet ultimately harmless.

Grandpa Arnie, Charlie's father, had always been my favorite grandfather. He could complain and tease endlessly, but deep down you knew he loved you. He just wasn't good at showing his emotions, so he covered it up with a cantankerous demeanor. That was a trait of all Swan's, actually. We preferred not to talk about our emotions or bring any attention to them. It was uncomfortable to face them and it was just always easier to ignore them.

He'd passed away shortly before I moved back to Forks and it was when I was watching Jeff and Walter when I felt closest to him, almost as though he was still with us. Almost as though he was speaking through the little dummy.

"_Walter, what exactly is marriage to you?"_

"_It's like drinking a Slurpee."_

"_A Slurpee?"_

"_First couple of sips, its like, 'Boy this is really good! I'm glad I did this!' Then you keep drinking, it goes right to your head, and you go, 'Ow, Ow, Ooooow! What the hell was I thinking? Someone kill me please!'"_

"_It eventually stops hurting."_

"_Yeah, and then you're stupid enough to take another freakin' sip!"_

Oh, shit. I'm drinking a Slurpee! I'm a Slurpee! I'm a frozen, carbonated drink that's drunk too fast and causes horrible pain!

I turned the TV off with a horrified click as Walter's words reverberated in my mind. This wasn't the devil at work. Not by a long shot. No, someone else was at work here.

Grandpa Arnie.

I'd always been the one in the family he was closest to, his favorite, probably because I was the only one in the family who never—not even for a single second—thought he was senile or just a mean person. I understood him and loved him for who he was, warts and all. And I knew that, if I was ever in trouble, his spirit would be with me, supporting me however he thought best to accomplish that.

And apparently being a Swan wasn't what was best for me. All the torturous songs about love and last names and Walter's marriage were a push for me to get in touch with my Higginbotham relatives, my mother's side of the family. They'd always been more dramatic and touch-feely than the Swans. They talked about their emotions; they liked them and would indulge in them. They'd face their issues head-on and endure everything they had to in order to work through them.

I hated having to do that. But I had to. This wasn't a situation that would go away if I just ignored its existence. Edward wouldn't go away if I ignored him.

So I attempted a calming breath and looked at my reflection in the large mirror situated over the dresser.

"I'm married," I quietly admitted, keeping my eyes focused on my reflected self. "I got drunk and married a man I barely know and then we had insanely hot monkey sex until we passed out. I got married and I need to do the responsible thing and speak with Edward."

It occurred to me that the panic hadn't taken me over as it had been threatening to do all morning, not even for a second. By accepting the situation and admitting to it aloud, I had become strong enough to fully deal with what was yet to come without dissolving into overwhelmed unconsciousness. Or babbling idiocy.

I could do this. I was strong enough to do this.

As long as I didn't have to tell The Girls.

Mike would find the situation hilarious. Rose, too, would be amused. And Alice? Alice would be pissed that she hadn't been able to plan the wedding.

They could wait to find out until after Edward and I had a chance to decide what we were going to do about this unforeseen complication.

I heard the sounds of life coming from the common room and stood up to go greet my friends, feeling calmer than I had since I'd woken up. Unlocking and opening my bedroom door, I looked out to find Mike slouched in one of the comfy chairs, looking for all the world like he knew something the rest of us didn't. I could easily tell that, whatever it was he knew, it had nothing to do with Edward and myself. If it had, he'd be giving me a conspiratorial look. Alice was pacing around the room, looking over the room service menu and debating whether to order in or hit one of the city's famous All You Can Eat buffets. And Rose…well, the resident beauty queen was looking a little like I had just so recently felt. I felt a pang of sympathy for her. The Emmett situation must have been wearing on her. I'd known her for a few years now and never had I seen her fall for someone so fast or so hard. But I also knew that vocalizing any sympathy would put a person on her shit list.

I sat down on the opposite end of the couch by Rose as Alice stopped at the end of it, easily able to see all three of us from her position. "So what do you guys think? Room service or buf—oh, my _God!_" She was staring in my direction with shock on her face. "Is that a _wedding ring?_"

Crap! I'd forgotten to take off the ring. Looking up, I opened my mouth to stammer out a reply when I realized that Alice wasn't really looking at me. I followed her gaze, turning to look at Rose, who had begun to swear up a storm while hiding her left hand.

_Huh. Didn't see that one coming._

* * *

**EPOV**

_Aw, shit!_ I mentally groaned as my mind started to come back to the living. Though my hungover state wasn't a common one, I was immediately able to recognize it for what it was.

Cutting off all thought and denying any movement, I allowed myself to drift in a thoughtless sea of fuzziness. If I did absolutely nothing for a while, it would be better when I finally forced myself to get up.

A muted click met my ears and it almost sounded like my door, though I knew it had no reason to open or close. No other sounds met my ears, so I figured it had to have been something else. I just couldn't bring myself to care. It was probably either Emmett or Jasper in their bedrooms.

A loud rattle emerged from the common area and I groaned at the too-loud sound. It had to be my brother, up and about for the day. No one else was as loud as him. Another click—further away this time—followed moments later; it most likely would have been inaudible were my hearing not extra-sensitive from the hangover.

All sound gone, I was able to relax once again and just drift.

"Did you see what I just saw?"

I groaned again as Emmett's loud "indoor voice" emitted from the common room. Damn. Jasper must be awake, too. My brother would only proceed to get louder. Why had I agreed to share a suite with my brother instead of all of us getting our own single rooms?

_Well, you never exactly planned on getting plastered, now did you?_

Jasper's response was much quieter, for which I was thankful. "I believe I did."

"I never thought my brother had it in him." My brother was practically laughing; whatever it was I had supposedly done amused him like a visit from Santa Claus would a small child.

"At least now we know where he disappeared to last night." There was a pause. "Stop grinning like an idiot, Em, and think about it. This might not be such a good thing."

Emmett's snort was preternaturally loud, as most everything he did was. "Whatever. _Carte blanche_, Jazz; remember?"

My brother's easily recognizable footsteps—he walked like the giant from _Jack and the Beanstalk_—drew closer to my room and I whimpered quietly into my pillow. The odds of him shutting the hell up and going away were slim and nil.

"Dude, don't go in there! Leave him alone, I doubt he's in the best of moods right now. He obviously got hammered last night."

My bedroom door opened in a rush and slammed back against the wall.

"Wakey, wakey, loverboy!"

I groaned at the excessive noise and buried my head into my pillows. I didn't care to decipher just what my brother was talking about nor did I want to. I just wanted to be left alone, in peace and quiet to recover from the jackhammers wreaking havoc in my head, made all the worse by the Loudest Man on Earth.

"Sorry, Edward," Jasper apologized quietly. "Emmett, stop being a jerk and leave him alone."

"No way! I want to hear all the dirty little details." He flopped onto the bed beside me, forcing my stomach to do jumping jacks in my abdomen and a small part of my mind to begin plotting all the ways to kill him and dispose of the body.

"Emmett," I growled, my voice muffled by the pillow my head was currently buried in. Knowing there was no chance of getting rid of him now, I slowly turned over and pinned him with an irritated glare. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

He shook his head like I was just being difficult on purpose. "Well? What was she like?"

"What was who like? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Bella!" He practically shouted her name and I winced at the volume, my sluggish mind still not getting the point, though I know I should have. "Jazz and I just saw her sneaking out of here. It looked like she'd had a wild night. So…you wanna give us the details?"

I groaned and rubbed my eyes as it dawned on me what he was talking about…and what I had done last night. Images flashed rapidly through my mind of just what Bella and I had gotten up to in here last night. Sans clothes. _Ah, shit. I'm going to be in so much trouble._

"Hey…is that a wedding ring?" Emmett questioned curiously.

I lifted my hands and stared in shock at the band encircling my left ring finger.

"Well…shit," Jasper muttered moment's later, summing up my thoughts perfectly.


	12. Chapter 11

**Hey, all! I'm back with another chapter. There's not much I have to say here, which is a change. Let's see…Bethaboo, my beta, rocks and y'all need to check out her story **_**Eve, The Apple of My Eye**_**. I've posted the link to a picture of Rose's rings on my profile. And…that's it. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**RPOV**

Dammit! How could I have neglected to take off my rings? There was no excuse for it, especially considering what it was causing among my friends.

Alice was in an absolute tizzy, moaning about not being invited to the wedding—one I hadn't even planned on having, truth to tell. Bella remained silent and if I didn't know better, I'd say she was looking guilty. That was, if she had something to be guilty about, which I highly doubted. And Mike…

I pinned him with one of my most poisonous glares. It didn't faze him in the slightest; he just remained in his chair, giggling like a lunatic. It was _his_ fault I was going through this!

"You stop laughing right now, you twisted little weasel, or I will damn well make sure you never get laid again!" I growled, practically snarling.

He studied me for a few moments, searching my face for how serious I was. Thankfully, he saw the truth and quickly snapped his mouth shut, his teeth meeting a muted clack.

Good.

I felt a touch on my hand and I looked down at Alice studying the ring. Even I had to admit that Emmett had good taste. Sometime during the day yesterday, he'd picked up a matching wedding and engagement ring set. Made to look antiqued, they were made of yellow, rose, and green gold in a rosebud-and-leaf pattern. In the center of the rosebuds were round-cut diamonds, while the engagement ring also had an oval-cut diamond settled between the two rosebuds. Emmett had said that the moment he'd seen the set, he'd thought of me. A small part of me had to admit the thought was sweet, but the larger, pissed off part of me steadfastly refused to let that part of me to have that much sway over my thoughts.

"What happened? You have to tell us everything!" Alice demanded eagerly. She was practically shaking with excitement, though I could see a touch of irritation in her eyes. Most likely because I hadn't invited her to the impromptu wedding. In my defense, I had never expected actually having a wedding. I was only trying to prove the overgrown Grizzly wrong.

It had backfired.

"Alice, leave her alone," Bella piped up in what we both knew was a futile attempt to rein the pixie in. "She might not want to talk about it."

I flashed her a small smile of thanks as Mike began snickering again, though he did attempt to muffle it. The way I saw it, he was the one getting the most enjoyment out of this entire fiasco. He was living vicariously through all of us—and me in particular—and it was starting to grate on my nerves. He needed his own man. As Alice snorted away Bella's accurate defense of me, I made a mental note to find the little weasel a guy of his own. Maybe if he got some, he'd mind his own damn business and leave me the hell alone.

"She can't _not_ talk about it!" the pixie argued. "She's frickin' married, for crying out loud! If she didn't want to tell us what's going on, she would have done a better job at covering this up!" I swear, on that last word her voice raised two octaves.

"Yeah, but—"

"But my ass," Alice sniped, eliciting another round of guffaws from the Master of Screwing With People's Lives. "Bella! She got _married_ last night. We don't know who he is, what he does…he could be a complete psycho for all we know!"

"Ah, but we do know him," Mike interjected with a smirk. Where's a nice, sharp butcher's knife when you need one?

"We do?" Bella looked at our friend—and I use that term very loosely—in surprise.

"Oh my god! You two didn't get married, did you?" Alice questioned, throwing out the wildest possibility out there. "Oh, your marriage isn't lasting even ten minutes!"

I felt some vindication when I noticed the weasel turning a faint shade of green. Serves him right.

"Ew! No!"

My lip jutted out in a pout as I gave him my best puppy dog eyes. I even managed to squeeze out a few tears. "Oh, Mike, how can you say such a thing? Last night you said I was the best thing to ever happen to you and that you couldn't spend even another second without being my husband!" Standing, I brushed past Alice and sat myself down onto his lap and wrapped my arms around him. There was no reason I had to be the only one to squirm this morning. "You said you'd love me every day of forever! Were you just doing all this to get into my pants?"

His entire body was tense beneath my own, the greenish tinge to his skin darkening as he stammered for something to say. I never thought I'd live to see the day that he was rendered speechless. My internal bitch was jumping up and down in victorious glee.

"Last night meant so much to me and now you're trying to play it off as though it were nothing? How can you? Didn't you say I was the best of your life?" With a mental shrug, I decided to ratchet his discomfort up a few more notches. Fisting my hands in his hair, I kissed him, fusing my lips to his. Bringing my tongue into play, I stormed his defenses and dominated his mouth. Beneath me, he fidgeted in his seat.

The next thing I knew, I hit the ground as he quickly stood up and ran away to hide behind Alice. My tailbone throbbed; the floor, even carpeted, was harder than I'd ever anticipated. "What the hell, Mike?!"

"Stay away from me you crazed fruit fly!" Mike's voice was screechy and beyond distressed. "Stay away from Dr. McManstick! He's not interested in your attentions."

"Dr. McManstick?" Bella questioned softly, looking at him like he'd just sprouted a second head. I couldn't blame her for that.

"I'll never be able to look at _Grey's Anatomy_ the same way ever again," Alice whimpered.

"I'm honestly surprised you didn't go with the Big Lebowski," I snarked with a sneer. "'You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.'" I slowly pushed myself up off the floor and stifled a groan. "I think you broke my ass!"

"Whatever it takes to get you to stay away from my man goodies!"

"I don't want your frickin' 'man goodies'! You couldn't pay me to touch them you delusional flamer!"

Bella stood up and ran into her bedroom, returning moments later with the down pillow off her bed. Setting it down on the couch, she helped me sit on the extra softness. Oh, that hurt like a mother…

"Oh, really…and that's why you were coveting the good doctor?"

"I wasn't—" I cut myself off with a disgusted sigh. Revenge was _so_ not worth this bullshit.

"As fascinating as this is, who the hell did you marry?" Alice returned to the previous topic as though no time had passed. "And why didn't you invite me?"

"Leave her alone," Bella interjected again. Lord, I loved that girl! "She shouldn't have to talk about it if she doesn't want to."

"She married Emmett," Mike, that idiot, threw that out as though he was being helpful, a goofy grin on his face.

_I think I'm going to kill him._

"Emmett!?" Alice squeaked with glee. She pranced over to sit on the coffee table in front of me, practically vibrating with the need for the dirty details. There was no way in hell I was going to get out of telling her all; the look in her eyes indicated her determined stubbornness.

"Fine," I grumbled. I was too tired and sore to keep fighting against it. If I didn't tell her, Mike would give her his skewed version of events and I didn't know just what his diseased mind could come up with. "Do you remember how last night I told you all that Emmett and Mike were planning something while they had their little man date all afternoon?"

"Get on with it; get to the good stuff!"

In stark contrast to Alice's pushy eagerness, Bella was curled up at the other end of the couch, watching with quiet interest. Mike had taken the seat furthest away from me, obviously still convinced I was going to jump him at any moment. _Idiot._

"Well, it turned out I was right. They were planning something, though it definitely wasn't something I would have ever expected." Massive understatement. "Last night, at the club, I danced with this guy told me I was going to have to talk to Emmett sooner or later so I did. I can't remember his exact words—" _Liar._ "—but he essentially said that he was sorry for what he did and that he loved me and willing to spend the rest of his life making it up to me."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Alice gushed and I rolled my eyes at her.

"He said he wanted to show me how sincerely he meant what he said and pulled a ring box out of his pocket and held it out to me. He asked me to marry him and allow him the chance to treat me 'as a goddess deserves to be treated.'" I ignored the pixie's romantic sighs and noises. "Apparently, Mikey over there told him that an engagement would be the perfect way to prove his sincerity."

"So you accepted the proposal?" Bella questioned softly and calmly. I loved her more by the second.

"Of course she accepted, Bella. She's obviously wearing the ring, isn't she?" Alice replied before turning her attention back to me. "So what happened? Why the quick wedding?"

"Well, I thought he was just trying to buy his way into my good graces; that Mike had convinced him of this oh-so-genius plan. He didn't really want to marry me and would back down eventually, so I decided to play along and I accepted…on the condition that we get married right away."

"And he called your bluff," Bella guessed with a wince.

"I expected him to back out before the license signing and I Dos…but he didn't."

"And you, being you, couldn't back down either."

"Wuss out in front of that overgrown child? Over my dead body!"

Mike broke in with hearty laughter. "It was great! The looks on their faces when the head holy guy or whoever pronounced them man and wife was priceless! They both looked so stunned, standing there with rings on fingers and congratulations flying about them from the chapel employees."

"Michael Irwin Newton! Stop picking on Rosalie!" Bella admonished in her best mother voice.

Alice and I looked at her in surprise before turning to Mike.

"Irwin?" I snickered. "Your middle name is Irwin?"

Our little friend Irwin narrowed his eyes at us. "Shut up. Just…shut up."

"What? Your parents thought Urkel was too geeky?"

"I honestly thought your middle name was Isaac," Alice mused. "I don't know why. I've met your parents and that just seemed like something they'd do."

"Wasn't the real topic of our conversation Rosalie's marriage to a certain hunky beefcake we all know?"

"There's nothing more to discuss," I piped up. "I'm married to a man I have intense feelings of anger toward and that's that. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"But—" A knock on the suite door interrupted Alice's protest and I quickly shot a glance up to the heavens. _You are a merciful God._

* * *

**EPOV**

The tension holding my body rigid eased as the steaming water from the showerhead beat down upon my back. I rested my sore head against the cool tile of the opposite wall, the contrast doing wonders to beat away the remnants of the hangover.

After Emmett and Jasper had finally left my room—without any answers, for I had none to give them—I'd retreated into the bathroom, where I still was at least an hour later. Drinking glass after glass of water, I'd wracked my slowly-returning memory for every last moment of what I'd said and done. Fortunately—or was that really _unfortunately_? I was never certain—I always remembered what happened while I was drunk, it just took a while sometimes for my cloudy mind to clear enough for me to see all.

I'd run into Bella in the elevator and we'd decided to go to the club ahead of everyone else; they could catch up when they were finished getting ready. At the club, we'd had a couple drinks, then a dance. The others had arrived and there'd been more drinks. I'd lost count of how many, but the number was moot; there'd been too much. For both of us. Another dance was followed by a stolen trip into the Red Room.

We'd snuck into the VIP room without getting caught, which I still had a bit of trouble believing despite my apparent burst of confidence last night. And, looking back on it, I think that act was when we first stepped into the Twilight Zone in which we now resided. The drinking had only continued and I wished I could blame my fractured thought processes of the night before entirely on that, but I couldn't. My attraction to Bella—an attraction that, if I'm being completely truthful, began the first moment I saw her across the Bellagio's lobby—also held some of the blame for the actions that came after we stepped into the red-and-champagne colored room.

I felt myself hardening as the memory of our dance came to me—the sensation of Bella's lithe body slithering against my own; the two of us moving in conjunction with one another, all but actually having sex on the dance floor—and I glared down at my traitorous appendage. It definitely held half the blame for the mess I'm now in.

After the dance…we met Victoria Savage. When her name first started being bandied about, I wasn't too certain what I'd think about her. So many out there today were just clones of each other with little actual talent, but with Victoria, I'd been surprised. She had songwriting skills and the talent to back it up. It was a refreshing change. In interviews and television appearances, she'd always appeared genuine and at ease, like what you saw was what you got. After meeting her, I had to say that there was no artifice; she was exactly as she seemed.

While talking with her, it had seemed only natural to say that Bella and I were dating; it was easier than the truth.

"Well, Victoria, Bella and I just met the other night. Our friends want to get into each other's pants, leaving us to spend time with each other. Though I must say, I really don't mind. Even though I'm in a committed relationship and love my girlfriend dearly, I'm more than just a little attracted to the ravishing woman beside me."

That probably wouldn't have gone over that well. Much of that conversation, however, still hadn't returned to my mind. Out of the quagmire, only one sentence was clear in my mind.

"_Bella, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"_

How my proposal had come about or why, was still shrouded in my mind. Opening my eyes, I looked down at the simple sterling silver band that encircled my left ring finger. Bella apparently said yes…but why? I distinctly remembered telling her about Tanya and Bella wasn't the sort to knowingly marry another woman's guy.

There was obviously some part of the puzzle I was still missing. A small voice in my mind told me that I knew what the missing piece was, but whatever it was still refused to come to me.

The next thing I can remember—other than a few, silent flashes of a wedding chapel and Bella and I standing at an altar—is my bedroom where I could see myself stripping Bella of her clothes and the X-rated activities thereafter. All in the clearest of high definition. Each second of the encounter was emblazoned on my mind, each sensation recollected on my skin.

I groaned as my body gave the memory a standing ovation. A standing ovation that bordered on the painful. "Dammit," I growled as I glared at it. "Stop doing that!" It wasn't helping anything. Dwelling on some of the greatest sex I'd ever had wasn't going to get this situation straightened out.

The water began to cool and I reached behind me to turn it off. As much as I'd love to spend the rest of the day in the shower, isolated in my own little world, I couldn't do it. Ignoring my still aroused state, I stepped out of the stall and pulled a towel around myself.

I met my reflection and stared into my own eyes. I had to think about this calmly and rationally. There were two issues at hand here, Bella and Tanya. I cared for both women, and that's what made this situation so horrible.

Tanya had been in my life for as long as I can remember. She'd been both my best friend and girlfriend for years. We could tell each other anything and everything without being judged or teased. I loved her; I was going to marry her once I was done with Med School and my internship. We were going to spend the rest of our lives together. If she didn't kill me for this. I don't think her promise included marriage to and sex with another woman.

Then there was Bella. Dear, sweet Bella. In the short time we'd known each other, I'd come to look at her as one of my best friends. She was kind and generous and had a wonderful sense of humor. I had connected with her easier than I had anyone I hadn't known for years. Quite aside from my physical attraction to her, I cared deeply for her and didn't want to hurt her. And I knew I probably already had and was still bound to. This entire situation was just rife with pain and stress.

I could come up with only two solutions so this riddle. The first was that Bella and I remained married, and, though a part of me—the part of me that cared for her and wanted to sex her up until we were both too exhausted to move—was overjoyed at the notion, I knew that way only ended in pain. It would hurt Tanya greatly and a marriage began in drunkenness could never last for the long haul. The second solution was that Bella and I end the marriage and go on with our lives, me with Tanya and Bella with the man of her dreams, whenever she found him. This was the only solution I could think of that held minimal pain for all parties involved.

Though I was still missing a chunk of last night, I do know that we were both inebriated when we walked down the aisle. Our mental capabilities were impaired and that was grounds for an annulment. An annulment was easier than a divorce; especially for a marriage that lasted only a short amount of time, less than twenty-four hours. If Bella was amenable, we could begin the proceedings. We'd get an annulment.

I winced and rubbed the flash pain at the center of my chest. _What the hell was that?_ Taking a deep breath, the pain began to recede and I chalked it up to the fading hangover.

It would probably be best to talk this over with Bella sooner rather than later, so I reached for the clothes I'd brought into bathroom with me and got dressed. I just hoped that she was ready to talk about this and get started on the only logical course of action.

I finished getting ready and left my room, sighing when I saw a grinning Emmett and a concerned Jasper sitting in the common room. I bypassed them both with a slight roll of my eyes—more for my brother than our friend—and made my way to the door.

"Where ya going?" Emmett asked and I couldn't tell if he was teasing or was really an idiot.

Momentarily I considered leaving without answering him, but I knew my brother well. He could be insanely annoying, like a dog with a bone, and, to him, this was a nice, juicy bone. "I'm going to see Bella," I answered shortly, glancing over my shoulder to see them both standing. "What are you two doing?"

"Moral support," Emmett boasted as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"And you might want us along to distract The Girls," Jasper pointed out, a bit more helpfully than Emmett.

I thought back to all Bella had told me about her best friends and family-by-choice and to what I'd observed myself and nodded my agreement. Bella and I would probably get everything sorted out faster if we weren't being constantly availed upon by her friends. Alice, especially. "Thank you," I said softly as the door clicked closed behind us.

The gratitude was met with a silent nod from Jasper and a breathless "Oof!" from Emmett, caused by Jasper's elbow making contact with his sternum to shut him up. Sometimes physical violence was the only way to keep my brother silent.

The Girls' suite was at the other end of the hallway from ours and it wasn't long before we were standing in front of their door, my knuckles rapping against the hard wood. I knew they were awake; their voices were muffled through the door.

A few moments later, it flew open to reveal the small form of Alice. She nodded a greeting at me and grinned at Jasper—_They obviously got closer at the club last night,_ I observed—before fixing Emmett with an irritated glare. "Well, well, well…if it isn't the missing groom. Come to see your bride? I can't believe you invited _Mike_ and left _me_ out!"

I looked at Emmett in confusion. Alice's words made no sense. "What?"

Jasper, it seemed, was quicker on the uptake than I was. "Wait…you mean that Emmett and _Rosalie_ got married last night, too?"

"'_Too'_?" The question was uttered by three voices in unison and I looked beyond Alice to see Bella drop her beet-red face into her hands. Obviously, she hadn't had a chance to say anything about our unplanned nuptials.

"What do you mean, 'too'?" Rose asked, looking between the three of us, her expression demanding answers. "Who else got married?"

"Bella, you little tramp-olina!" Mike burst out laughing, obviously having noticed her averted gaze, which then drew the attention of her other friends. I winced in sympathy, knowing how she felt.

Alice stepped aside so the three of us could enter and shut the door, her attention focused entirely on the confusion that now reigned inside the suite.

"What in the world is going on?" Jasper questioned, as always, the voice of reason and sanity. "Did Rod Serling come back to life and interject us into an episode of _The Twilight Zone_?"

Or maybe not the voice of reason and sanity.

"You and Edward got married also?" Alice questioned, her blue gaze on her brunette friend.

"Yes, Alice. I believe that's already been established by Mike 'No Internal Filter' Newton," she sniped and I couldn't suppress the snort of laughter her words evoked.

"What the hell!?" I blinked as the little pixie's voice raised an octave. "Are Jasper and I the only ones who didn't get hitched last night? Mike, where's your Hootie Mama?"

"'Hootie Mama'?" Mike scoffed. "Sweetie, I think I can do better than a girl. Somewhere out there is a beefcake for me. Or maybe Emmett will eventually give up Rose and realize he's really in love with me."

"Oh, go play with Dr. McManstick!" Rose snapped, practically snarling. "Why would Emmett want to go _down_ a notch?"

"Look who suddenly cares. We're liable to get whiplash with all the starts and stops you're doing!"

"Hey, Nancy—"

I shook my head and tuned them out as I made my way over to Bella. Listening to them would only serve to bring back my headache. "Hey, do you think we could go somewhere and talk?" I asked quietly as I crouched down beside Bella.

Looking at me, she nodded her head. "Yes, please get me out of this madhouse."

We both stood, largely unnoticed as Mike and Rose continued to bicker like children. "Come on, let's go get something to eat. Hopefully by the time we get back they'll be finished."

"They never finish. Arguing is their thing," she replied with a laugh as we slipped out the door.

An awkward silence fell between us as we stepped into the elevator, the only two in the small space. I looked at her out of the corner of my eye as I struggled for words. We were certainly off to an amazing start in our conversation.

"Well, we're talking up a storm, aren't we?" she questioned sardonically as the elevator doors opened up to the lobby.

I chuckled as we stepped out. "Yeah, sorry…I don't really know where to start."

"Neither do I. Let's just go order some food and see if we can work it out," she suggested.

And it was statements like that that reminded me just why I liked her so much. "Sounds like a plan."


	13. Chapter 12

**Hi, all. No fake out this time, you see? An actual chapter! lol.**

**Thank you to everyone who voted for me and Mike at the Eddie and Bellies. I truly appreciate it and I'm touched that there's so many people who like a character that was thrown into the story on a whim. I'm glad that I'm not the only one who gets a kick out of him, even when he's being overly obnoxious! He, too, will have a happy ending when the story comes to a close (still not sure when that will be, though), and I'm looking forward to it.**

**Voting is still open (**_**www[dot]thecatt[dot]net/tw/Vote[dot]aspx**_**) and will be for a few more days, so go read and then vote for your faves, even if that isn't me.**

**My beta, Bethaboo, rocks. That goes without saying. Go to her profile (Bethaboo on both FF and Twilighted) and read it all. You won't be sorry.**

**No links for this chapter, so I'll let y'all just get right to it. (Quick note: if you replied to my author's note, there may be some issues with reviewing this chapter. Sometimes FF can be stupid.) I now present to you all Chapter Twelve.**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

**BPOV**

Raising my mug of coffee, I took a sip, my eyes cast down at the table separating Edward and myself. An awkward silence reigned supreme as it had from the moment we'd entered Café Bellagio and were seated at a small table for two. The only talking thus far had been a short conversation with the waitress who had taken our orders. The rest of the time we'd been avoiding making eye contact.

_We should be talking,_ I reminded myself sternly for the fifth time in just as many minutes. It still had little effect.

Edward was looking out the nearby French doors at the Botanical Garden, colorful bursts of beautifully maintained flora clearly visible. The rich scent of the flowers drifted in through the doors, mingling with the mouthwatering smells from the kitchen. His green eyes returned to the café's interior and he took a sip of his own coffee.

"So…we're married," I finally stated. There couldn't possibly be a good, easy way of starting off this conversation. No matter what, it was sure to be awkward.

His attention shifted to me, gratefulness imbuing every facet of his being. He hadn't known how to start, either. "So it seems," he agreed. "Crazy, huh?"

"Pretty much," I replied with a nod. The waitress chose that moment to return with our breakfasts, sparing us a couple moments of discomfort. When she left, I looked back at him. "Yeah, I'm incredibly uncomfortable."

"So am I," he said with a soft chuckle. "I didn't think this would be that hard."

Neither did I, honestly. But things rarely ever went as one thought they would. "Well, it's not going to get any easier, so maybe we should just barrel through and ignore any embarrassment on our parts."

He mulled that over for a couple moments then nodded his head. "That sounds like the best course of action. I suppose the best place to start is what all do you remember about last night?"

I took another sip of my coffee then shrugged. "After everyone else joined us, not that much. My memory fizzles out after that. I have a few flashes after that, but nothing much that's concrete. I think we may have gone into the Red Room. I think I saw Victoria Savage, but I couldn't tell you whether or not that was real. A parade of alcohol…I think some dancing." I thought back to the images I had scoured my mind for earlier and felt my cheeks heating in a blush. "And it all ends in a trip to your bedroom."

"That's all pretty much what I remember," he stated, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Do you remember anything about the wedding?"

Thinking again, I had to shake my head. "Nope. Not at all. But that's not what bothers me the most about it all."

"It's not? Then what does?" He looked confused as though he couldn't place what I was referring to.

"I don't even know your last name."

He chuckled a little at that, not that I could blame him. "I don't know yours, either."

"Actually, you do," I replied with a small smile. "You see, I'm your wife. Therefore your last name is my last name. Which I do not know...but you do."

"Well, you got me there," he considered as I slipped a forkful of eggs into my mouth. "My last name is Cullen."

Inhaling sharply at the sound of the name, I soon began to cough as I began to choke on the eggs. Edward stood up in concern, but I waved him down. This was hardly the first time something like this had happened. Just one of the more embarrassing. I reached forward and grabbed hold of the water glass sitting to the one side of my plate and took a sip.

Once I'd recovered my faculties enough, I looked at him. "Cullen? Any relation to Dr. Carlisle Cullen?"

"He's my father. You know him?"

I brought my hands up to cover my face. "Oh my god," I whimpered. "I married my doctor's son…"

My father-in-law had seen me naked. _Oh my god…my father-in-law has seen me naked!_ And not just my father-in-law…but my very hunky doctor who I did have a little bit of a crush on. Dr. Cullen was one hot bitch. His wife was a very lucky lady.

"Carlisle's your doctor?" he questioned. I couldn't figure out his tone, but I thought he might be amused at my colossal embarrassment. "They say it's a small world, after all. But there's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"My father-in-law saw me naked," I informed him, my voice muffled by my hands. I only removed them from my face when I heard his poorly-concealed snort of laughter. "It isn't funny! I've been nude in front of half your family!"

His muffled snorts turned into full-fledged laughter.

"Damn it, Edward! This isn't funny!" How he could find it so was beyond me. Yes, I could understand that in his profession Dr. Cullen had probably seen many naked people—and him seeing me naked had never bothered me before—but, damn it, that was before we ended up related!

"Bella, I'm sorry…but it's not that big a deal and you know it. You're completely overreacting!"

"Whether I am or not is still no reason for you take enjoyment out of my humiliation," I replied grumpily.

He reached across the table and tapped my lower lip that was distended in a pout. I felt the by-now-familiar shock from his touch. "No need for that, now," he chided teasingly. "You are aware that yours isn't the only naked body Carlisle has ever seen. He's bound by doctor-patient confidentiality. It will be our little secret, no one has to know."

"What secret? The Girls know that Hot Bitch has seen me naked! And they'll have no problems telling The Boys! Before you know it, _everyone_ will know!"

"'Hot Bitch'? You call my dad 'Hot Bitch'?"

I felt my blush burn brighter and dropped my head back down into my hands. I can't believe I slipped and called his father 'Hot Bitch' in front of him. Could this day get any worse?

"No, don't be embarrassed." I peeked through my fingers and noticed Edward was grinning widely, holding back silent laughter. Once again, amusement at my expense. "It's…cute. I like it."

I shook my head, resisting the nearly-overwhelming urge to let out a frustrated growl…or to throw a forkful of my eggs at him. It _was_ awfully tempting, though. "Look…can we please change the subject before I die of embarrassment?"

With one last chuckle, he nodded his head in agreement. "Alright. I wouldn't want to be the cause of you shuffling off this mortal coil."

"Thank you," I stated gratefully with a sigh of relief. "Any chance of you forgetting any of this ever happened?"

He considered it for a moment and then shook his head. "I'm sorry. Once you learn something like this, it can't be unlearned."

_If only_.

"So now you know my surname—and I guess your new one—but what about you? What did your last name used to be?"

"Nothing as well-known as yours. It's Swan."

"Bella Swan," he tested out my name. "It's pretty."

"It's also wrong. It's Bella Cullen now," I reminded him. "Or maybe Bella Swan-Cullen. Though I'm not sure that sounds as good."

"I don't know, it has a certain ring to it," he considered.

"So how long are we going to keep going on without talking seriously?" If we kept on hedging, nothing would get straightened out and we'd still have no idea what to do about this. It wasn't something that could be ignored until it went away.

"It's probably not the best of plans, is it?" he questioned rhetorically. "What would you prefer to do about our marriage?"

And there was the all-important question. The one that needed to be answered. "There are so many thoughts running through my head on this that it's hard to think. But…inebriation is a good foundation for a marriage. Especially for two people who are, essentially strangers. I mean, we've only known each other for two days!"

Edward nodded. "I agree with that. Don't get me wrong, Bella, I really like you, but we don't really know each other. Not well enough to support a marriage. There's also Tanya to consider."

"Who's Tanya?"

"I told you about her last night. She's my girlfriend."

I felt my heart stop and my breath hitch at his words. _His what? Dear lord, I'm the other woman!_

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**EPOV**

"Bella? Are you alright?" I questioned, taking in her pale countenance. She looked as though she was about to be sick; confusion clouded her cocoa-colored eyes.

"I-I'm fine," she stammered breathlessly as her shaking hand closed around her water glass. After a sip, she returned her gaze at me. "I'm sorry. I-I just didn't know you had a girlfriend."

"Yeah, I told you about her last night." At least, I was pretty sure I had. Scanning through my memories yet again, I distinctly remember telling her. "We were dancing…I think shortly before we entered the Red Room."

She looked lost in thought for a few moments then slowly nodded my head. "I think I may, vaguely, recall that. So much of the specifics of last night are hazy."

"That's hardly surprising," I said soothingly. "Neither of us were exactly candidates for Most Sober Person in Las Vegas."

"No, we weren't." Though she chuckled a little, she still looked pale and shaky.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"Yeah…I'm sorry, I just can't believe I'm the other woman," she said softly, closing her eyes against the thought. "I'd just always promised myself I'd never do that and yet, here I am."

"Bella, you're hardly the 'other woman,'" I assured her as best I could. "We were both drunk and didn't mean for it to happen. If it makes you feel any better, Tanya won't be upset. She pretty much gave her permission if something like this happened."

"Wow, understanding girlfriend," she snorted softly. I couldn't blame her for that. How many girlfriends in the world would do something like that? Tanya was really one in a million.

"I think she just knows how crazy things can get in this city and also knows that if I did slip up, I'd end up beating myself up for the rest of my life. I think she was just trying to prevent any self-hatred." Not that it would stop me. Even though she'd given her permission, I knew this would still have to hurt at least a little. And I'm sure it wouldn't be a picnic for Bella, either. An unexpected and unwanted marriage couldn't help but hurt her.

"Permission is great and all, but that still doesn't change the fact that I married a taken man! I'm a home wrecker!" Her cheeks colored when she noticed that the tables around us had all turned to look at us after her loud statement. She lowered her voice and dropped her head into her hands again. "Not only am I a Slurpee, but I'm a home wrecker as well. I'm a home wrecking Slurpee!"

She had well and truly lost me now. What did Slurpees have to do with anything? I'm not so sure I wanted to know what that was about. And hadn't I just told her that she wasn't a home wrecker and no one would think of her as one? "Bella, listen to me. You're not the other woman. You're not a home wrecker."

"Yes I am," she protested. "Not in the traditional sense, but I'm still one. I've become Kelsey Mallory."

"Who's Kelsey Mallory?" Presumably some home wrecker she knew, but probably not like her in any way.

"In high school, my best friend was Mike, but my next best friend and best female friend was Angela Weber. She was a really nice girl and we were close. She had younger twin brothers and her parents were devoted to each other…or so it seemed."

"Let me guess. This is where Kelsey comes in."

"Yes. In our junior year, Angela's parents sat her and the boys down and told them that they were getting a divorce. It seems that an affair had been going on for quite some time…"

"Mr. Weber and Kelsey."

"Actually, no," she replied with a shake of her head. "It was Mrs. Weber who had been having an affair with Kelsey."

Well, I hadn't seen that one coming.

"Kelsey was a drop-dead gorgeous girl, but also one of the biggest bitches you could ever hope to meet. We went to school with her little sister, Lauren, who wasn't any nicer. I think Kelsey was her idol or something. Anyway, Angela was heartbroken. Her parents were breaking up and her _mother_ had been having an affair with someone who was only a few years older than we were. It was devastating for her. I saw the effect that the entire situation had on Angela and her family and I made myself a promise right then and there that I would never be the other woman. I would never do to a family what Kelsey did to the Webers."

"And you won't," I assured her. "You haven't. You see, we got drunk and made a mistake. Mrs. Weber and Kelsey knew fully what they were doing. There's a difference. You have to believe me, Bella. You aren't Kelsey Mallory. You're better than her. Something tells me she didn't care so much about being a home wrecker, whereas you do."

"Logically I know you're right, but I can't help feeling as though I am."

"But you're not. Just keep repeating that to yourself until you believe it. No one could ever think that _you_ are a home wrecker. You're too sweet and kind and caring to even come close to the notion being anything other than a poor attempt at a joke."

She smiled a little, which was a vast improvement. "Thank you, Edward. But this is something I'm going to have to get over in my own time. It helps, though, knowing that you believe I'm not one."

"Good," I replied, finishing off my mug of coffee. "Out of curiosity, whatever happened to Mrs. Weber and Kelsey?"

"The last I heard, they moved to Los Angeles. I think they live just a few miles from the Playboy Mansion. Or was that they moved _into_ the Playboy Mansion?" She considered it a few moments then shrugged her shoulders. "Something like that. Then again, that was a couple years ago I heard that. They may have even broken up by now or moved."

I chuckled a little at how we'd gotten sidetracked once again from our aim. I opened my mouth to get us back on the right track when Bella spoke again.

"What I can't understand is how we came to be married since you have a girlfriend you're obviously in love with," she commented. "How could either of us let that happen?"

"You've got me there," I agreed. The memories of the proposal and wedding still hadn't come fully back to me. I replayed the lone remembered sentence in my mind. I wished I could remember what I'd been feeling or thinking at that moment, maybe there was some clue in there. Regardless, I knew there was just something I was missing.

"_It's a tourist attraction. So a person can have the Las Vegas wedding of their dreams without actually getting married."_

I felt myself straighten in my chair as Bella's words from yesterday entered my mind. Was it possible…?

"Edward? What is it?"

"Bella, do you remember when we were hanging out by the pool yesterday?"

"Of course," she replied with a laugh. "We were looking at all those brochures Alice had collected. Pamphlet after pamphlet of wedding chapels. Even that tourist one…"

Comprehension dawned in her eyes and I nodded my head. "Exactly. Do you think we could've gone there?"

"You know what? I think it's possible. Oh, what was the name of that place?" She wracked her mind for the name. "Making Memories Wedding Chapel."

"Where special memories are found," I completed the tagline.

Last night was suddenly starting to make much more sense.

"Do you still have the 'wedding license'?" she questioned, excitement coloring her tone.

I vaguely recalled seeing a sheet of pristine white paper on the bedside table, but hadn't had the guts to take a look at it. The entire situation had just been too surreal without adding something else to it. Now I wished I had. "I think so. Let's go check."

It was the work of just a couple minutes to pay for our breakfast and return to the floor of the hotel on which we were staying. Sliding the keycard into the lock, I pushed my suite door open and let Bella precede me in. I was thankful that neither Jasper nor Emmett had yet returned to the room. I currently lacked the patience to deal with their questions and teasing.

I made a beeline straight for my bedside table and snatched the paper off its resting place. Bella was beside me, reading it at the same time and heard her whimper of dismay.

There, on the license, was the logo of A Special Memory wedding chapel. _Not_ Making Memories.

All hope of a lark fled right then. Our marriage was legit.

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**Okay, all, here's fair warning. If, from this point forward, I still get any messages to the effect of "are they really married?" they will be ignored. The answer has been evident since chapter eight (if you would only take the time to look back and compare the chapel names from chapters six and eight) and I'm getting really tired of answering that question. It gets exhausting having to answer it at least five times every chapter…I'm hoping that now, stating it out a bit more clearly, will help.**


	14. Chapter 13

**Here's a quick Author's note for y'all. I'll attempt to keep it brief, but I'd really appreciate it if you all read it.**

**1. Edward and Bella will end up together and happy by the end of the story. As will Jasper and Alice and Emmett and Rosalie. Even Mike will get his beefcake. I feel the need to state this aloud because people like to hear confirmation and because I've been getting the question about Edward and Bella a lot recently. As I stated in the story summary, the story has CANON COUPLES. If you need help with knowing what that is, wiki it. en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Canon_(fiction) or en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Glossary_of_fan_fiction_terms**

**2. I have absolutely no intention on quitting this story or putting it on hiatus. None. I will be continuing this story to its finish. I promise you that. I do have a life outside writing that I need to attend to, so sometimes it may take me a while (or, over a month…sorry) to update, but I will be updating. There's no need for all the 'Have you given up the story?' comments. To answer them all right now: I WILL FINISH THIS STORY. Are we clear?**

**3. I love every review I get (except for the occasionally nasty ones where people feel I'm an idiot for writing things the way I want to and not the way they want me to), but I just don't have the time to reply to them anymore. I generally get so many replies, I have to spend a couple days responding to them, which tires me out (it is a little overwhelming) and it takes me longer to get back to writing the next chapter. I feel that, by giving up replying to reviews, I'll have more time to write and, hopefully, chapters will come more quickly. But know that I do read every review and love them all. I love hearing how much you all like the story, even if you don't entirely understand why I'm doing some of the things I'm doing or don't like them, but stick with it anyway 'cause you have faith that I'll explain all eventually (and I will).**

**4. All the drinks mentioned in the second half of the chapter are real, believe it or not. There are some real doozies and I had a bit of trouble deciding on which ones to use (I'm not a big drinker myself, so I went for the best names and what, judging from the recipe, sounded yummy), but I eventually made a decision. If you want to try them, you may go to www[dot]mygayweb[dot]com/drinks/types/Default[dot]asp?DTID=12 to get the recipes, but if you're under age, I wouldn't recommend it as that's the x-rated drinks section and I also request that you quit reading the story since it's for adult audiences.**

**5. And last, but not least, there's a reference to Alice's POV in chapter four and, since it's been a while, I'll recap. Alice has a list of names of guys she should get to know better to check for soulmate compatibility. The list consists of Johnny Depp (if you don't know him, have you been living under a rock for the past twenty years?), Zachary Quinto (Sylar on **_**Heroes**_** and young Spock in the new **_**Star Trek**_** movie), and Lee Pace (Ned on **_**Pushing Daisies**_**, Aaron in **_**Wonderfalls**_**, and Michael in the movie **_**Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day**_**).**

**Well, that turned out to be much longer than I'd expected, but I believe I've said everything I need to. Thank you for being patient until I was able to update (and even those who weren't so patient and could be downright rude and actually made me consider giving it up 'cause you were hardly nice about your questions/statements). I now give to you Chapter Thirteen.**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

**EPOV**

I read over the document in my hands once again, as if another read-through was going to change what was printed upon the pearl white paper.

_Edward Anthony Cullen and Isabella Marie Swan are hereby authorized to join in the holy bonds of matrimony…_ Blah, blah, blah.

Bella tapped the paper, realizing there were two sheets there. Obligingly, I switched pages to reveal our Wedding Certificate.

_This certifies that Edward Anthony Cullen and Isabella Marie Swan were united in matrimony on this day, the 30__th__ of August in the year 2008 at A Special Memory Wedding Chapel. This ceremony was witness and celebrated by Sandy Rogers and Jonathon Adler._

It was signed by the officiator, Lawrence Quinn.

I closed my eyes and sighed, the license and certificate fluttering out of my lax fingers and to the ground. Beside me, Bella heaved a breath and sat on my bed—_the maid must have come while we were out,_ a part of my mind pointed out as it noticed that the bed was now made—then laid back upon it. I opened my eyes in time to see her close her own and lay back, an expression I couldn't quite pinpoint upon her face.

"And that brings us back to square one," she murmured softly.

"Yeah," I agreed, flopping down on the bed beside her. I thought over what we'd just learned; our last hope of this entire situation having an easy and simple solution had evaporated before us like incorporeal vapor.

My mind flittered to our earlier conversation at breakfast, the bits had around and between mentions of other women and Hot Bitch doctors. We'd believed the marriage was real then, as it turned out, in fact, to be. We'd already prepared ourselves for what we were going to do to rectify the reality we'd now found ourselves in. Again.

Turning my head, I looked at her. Her eyes were still closed, her full lips slightly parted; if it weren't for the slight furrow between her eyebrows, she would appear to be sleeping. I quickly quashed the voice in my mind that expressed its desire to see her sleeping next to me at night. I loved waking up in the mornings—or occasionally staying up at night—to watch Tanya sleeping beside me, beautiful and perfectly at ease. It wasn't too surprising that a part of me would love to see Bella that way, relaxed and vulnerable, but it was something could never, and would never, happen. There was no reason for it to, especially as we were just friends, albeit ones united together in a sticky situation. But Tanya was my future; she was the only one I should rightfully want beside me, night after night.

I probably only wanted to see Bella like that because we were, for the moment, married.

"Bella?" I questioned softly, not wanting to startle her after our minutes of silence.

She turned her head to face me and opened those beautiful eyes of hers. "Hmm?" she hummed her attention.

The sound was throaty and husky, sensuality vocalized, and the sound shot straight to my groin. Clear as crystal, I could see Bella standing before me. Her smooth, pale skin bared and on display, her thick hair cascading over her shoulders in sharp contrast. The sight of her breasts, high and firm, made my mouth water. With my eyes, I followed her flat stomach down to her white panties, the shadow of her mound visible beneath the fabric. After perusing her long legs, I ran my eyes back up, meeting her eyes with mine and what I saw in them nearly made my breath stop. The dark depths held pure, unadulterated sex. And it was directed at me; felt for me. It weakened my knees to be the focus of such a gaze. Her pink tongue snaking out to wet her lips was almost my undoing.

"Edward?"

With a start, I refocused on reality and Bella's concerned look. _What the hell was that?_ Belatedly, my mind identified the vivid image as one from the night before and almost groaned in frustration as I felt the near-painful throb from my groin.

"Where were you just then?"

Oh, hell no. There was no way I was answering that!

_It's only a matter of time before she looks down, dumbass!_

"Sorry, I just drifted off there for a while." Still no need to tell her why, and as long as I kept her gaze focused on my face or elsewhere in the room, there was no need to have to tell her at all. She didn't need to know that my mind and body had decided to revert to adolescence. It wasn't her problem and I didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

If only I could spare myself the same fate.

I was uncomfortable; beyond uncomfortable, really. My body and mind had teamed up to conspire against me. Guilt welled up in me as I pictured my beautiful Tanya, working back home in ignorance as I betrayed her. That I couldn't control my own body was no excuse.

Bella must have seen something in my face that prompted her to say, "If Tanya really loves you and you're meant to be together, she'll forgive you. Once she hears the whole story, she'll understand. We were drunk and we thought we were getting a fake marriage, just goofing around."

She was right, of course. I'd known Tanya for years, she'd understand. She'd never been one prone to being a drama queen or wallowing in self-pity and misery. If she loved me—and I knew she did—she'd find a way to deal with this and forgive me. This was just a big mistake and I'd spend the rest of my life making it up to her if that's what was called for. "Thanks," I said with a small smile. While I still felt guilty, I was no longer on the cusp of dwelling on it. Well, as long as my body didn't decide to rebel even more.

"No problem," she replied. "So what were you going to say before you drifted away?"

I wracked my mind again and recaptured my train of thought. "I was just going to say that we're no worse off than we were this morning. At least we were prepared for hearing that we went to the wrong chapel."

"You know what I really want to know?" she questioned, rolling over onto her side in a more comfortable position and supporting her head with her hand.

I followed her lead then asked, "What's that?"

"Well, it's two things, really. The first is how there could be two chapels with such similar names in one city. It's just wrong and very confusing."

That was a fact. "I think it's allowable as long as there are no grounds of the newer chapel having intentionally ripped off the name." I shrugged as well as I was able on my side. "What's the second thing?"

"The second thing is how many people have done the same thing as us? How many people have intended on going to the fake wedding place and ended up going to the real one instead?"

I chuckled a little. "Probably more than one would think. Maybe we should start up a support group."

She giggled. "Maybe there already is one."

"That would be a hard one to name though, don't you think? Imagine how long the name would be."

"Not to mention the t-shirt," she joked back. "'Official member of the I Meant to Get Fake-Married and Ended Up Married For Real support group.'"

"I joined the Real Marriage Instead of Fake Marriage support group and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.'"

"That's a lot to fit on a shirt."

"Not to mention how anyone who reads it will want to hear the entire story."

"That would get old fast," she winced.

"Unless a book was published about it," I suggested with a wry smile. "_Married For Real: The Bella Swan and Edward Cullen Story_ by Bella Swan. That way we'd just have to point them in the direction of the nearest book store."

"No publisher would pick it up," she protested. "Too unbelievable."

That was probably true. Real life was often stranger than fiction. We'd just learned that one for ourselves.

"Seriously, though, Edward," Bella began with a sigh.

"Where do we go from here?" I finished helpfully.

"Yeah. Now that we know for certain, we should figure out what we're going to do."

We were going to have to figure everything out sooner or later. It was best to get it decided upon as soon as possible to save any hassle. "An annulment would be easiest," I voiced my thoughts.

"I think so, too," she agreed. "We should be able to get one with very little problem. Our judgment was impaired and we honestly never intended on tying the knot for real. After hearing our story, the courts would have no recourse but to grant it."

"That's true enough."

"And I wouldn't feel right going after a divorce or any of your assets, especially considering our circumstances. Some women might feel justified in that, but I'm not one of them."

"Of course you're not!" I replied. "The thought that you were never even crossed my mind. You'd never do anything like that. You're not the type of girl to rake someone over the coals, no matter how long you were married to them."

A soft smile curved her lips. "Thanks for that. Sometimes you just can't tell with people, but I wanted you to know. I don't want there to be any lasting effects of this. You're going to have to deal with enough from this as it is. There's no reason for you to suffer more."

"I don't want you to have any lasting repercussions, either. You're too good a person for that."

"Please, the worst thing I'll have to deal with is putting up with the Girls' comments and finding myself a new doctor. I'm sorry, but I can't have a doctor whose son I married, however unintentionally. That's just too strange for me."

"Bella, 'Dr. Hot Bitch' doesn't have to know about any of this," I stated, suppressing a smile at my father's nickname.

"Hello?" she questioned, reaching out and tapping her knuckles lightly on my forehead. "Have you ever met your brother? Or my friends? You know that one of them is going to say something."

Of course. There _was_ that. Emmett loved when he had ammunition to tease me, especially in front of our parents. "Either way, he'd be professional about it."

"Still too strange," she disagreed. "So annulment it is?"

"That is what's best, yes," I agreed. "It shouldn't be too difficult to enact."

"So should we head down to the courthouse right now?"

I was about to agree when I remembered the date. "Can't, it's Sunday. They're closed."

"That's right," she said, suddenly remembering that, too. "And tomorrow is out. Labor Day. Plus, our flight back home is tomorrow night. Mike couldn't manipulate the schedules enough to give us Tuesday off."

"We have to head back tomorrow evening, too," I replied. We were probably even scheduled on the same flight. "What time do you get off work on Tuesday?"

"One," she responded after a moment of thought. "I'm scheduled to get off early."

"School doesn't start up until next week and I have the day off, so what do you say we meet at the courthouse at one-thirty to set things in action?"

"It sounds like a plan," she replied, smiling.

I thought I saw a flicker of sadness in her eyes, but it was gone too quickly for me to be certain.

And if I were being honest, some part of me felt that same flicker of sadness, as though something great was coming to an end. Perhaps it was because I liked Bella—all attraction aside—and we were friends. I didn't want this to come between our friendship. Logically, I knew that there was little likelihood of that, but one could never be sure what the future would bring.

Or, perhaps, the sadness was because even though we'd never meant for it to happen, we were still married and I had never pictured myself ending a marriage. It had never been in my life plan. Then again, neither had marriage to someone other than Tanya.

Or maybe it was nothing other than because the events of the last eighteen hours was so bizarre and confusing that all my emotions were all mixed up and it was impossible to feel anything and still feel everything.

After all, Vegas could drive anyone nuts!

* * *

**APOV**

I studied the backs of Emmett's cards before reaching forward and plucking my chosen card from among the others, smiling as I was able to pair off my fives and set them aside. I had yet to lose a single game of Old Maid. Hotels really needed to think about supplying each room with some board games for times like this.

"How long are they going to keep going at it?" Jasper asked softly, trying not to draw the Terrible Twosome's attention onto us. Emmett watched me intently, obviously waiting for the answer.

I glanced over at Rose and Mike, who were still going at it, fighting like an old married couple. Well, like one of those old married couples where the husband suddenly realizes he's gay and comes out to his wife of forty years. I'd stopped either of them from trying to break it up. They were new to the game and if they were to get involved it would only lead to them becoming a target. That was how we'd ended up playing a children's card game. "It's hard to tell with them. Sometimes they're done in minutes and sometimes they can keep this up for hours."

Ignoring their muffled groans, I chuckled a little and shook my head. "I remember this one time; we were all having a Girl's Night Out at Neighbours, Mike's favorite gay club. It was his night to choose the venue and Bella, Rose, and I really couldn't care less where we went. Plus it's where I had, quite possibly, the best Piece of Ass in my life."

Jasper made a strangled choking sound and I looked at him in concern. "Excuse me?" he questioned, his voice hoarse.

I couldn't think of what I could have possibly said that would have him reacting like that. _No, wait a second…_ It hit me in a rush and I shook my head. "The drink, not an actual person. The best person piece of ass I've ever had would have to be you," I teased, though I was completely serious about the sentiment. True, we hadn't made love yet, but I'm sure we would. Since we'd cleared up the issues surrounding our meeting—such as my erroneous belief that he was a professional gambler—we'd gotten closer to each other and he'd made his way onto my list. He'd not only made his way onto it, but he was the only one on it. Lee, Zachary, and Johnny had been thrown—beaten and bloody—right out of the running.

A faint hint of pinkness appeared on Jasper's cheeks and I leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek, rolling my eyes at Emmett's groan. "No loving for you until my girl's free to give some to me."

"You are such a child," Jasper grumbled with a mild glare at his friend. "She's probably not going to give you any anyway."

It was painfully obvious that all was not well with the newlyweds. The fact that they were actually married was still surprising, yet not. Two impulsive people being egged on by another impulsive one to do something stupid was definitely the Vegas stereotype.

"Anyway, back to my story. So we all had a girl's night out and, an hour or so into the evening Rose becomes convinced that one of the go-go dancers is giving her the eye. Mike, too, is convinced that the eye is being given but not to her. So they get into this _huge_ argument in the middle of the club. They were yelling and screaming about who this guy—who was totally both their types—and whether or not he was gay or bi or straight and just working at a club…it was a huge mess. Bella and I tried to break it up, but we've never been good at doing that when they're in their groove.

"I'm still not entirely certain how it happened, but it soon devolved into a mess. I'm talking the whole nine yards. Kicking, scratching, hair pulling…a real chick fight. While trying to break it up, Bella got a few broken ribs and I got a black eye and the breath knocked out of me. Needless to say, we got off easily. When it was all over, Rose and Mike were scratched up and bruised and just a complete and utter mess. To add insult to injury, they were banned from every going to the club again and the dancer ended up with this scrawny, wimpy little guy. That was such a huge blow to their egos."

Looking at the bickering duo, it was easy to see how they could get into a catfight.

Bella and I had been banned from the club right along with Rose and Mike. We hadn't actually been involved in the fight, but were seen as accomplices to it, which totally sucked. Neither Bella nor I had cared too much about being banned, but I had yet to find any bar or in Seattle—or elsewhere—that made as good a version as my favorite drink.

"So," Emmett began, drawing my attention to him, "you mentioned that Rosalie has a type."

It was obvious he was trying to be subtle and was anything but. He was adorable when he was insecure, like a child. "She does. And you have nothing to be worried about. She goes for big and brawny. You should ask her the name of her favorite shot. It's an indication of that." He gave me a questioning look and I shook my head. "Ask her. It's her drink."

He looked at his wife and it was easy to see the love he had for her in his eyes, accompanied by uncertainty and irritation. He stood up and took a step toward her. I opened my mouth to talk him back down. I hadn't meant to ask her now! Rule number one of life with Rose: never get involved in one of her fights unless absolutely necessary! Before I could intervene, he spoke up in his booming voice.

"Hey! Stop fighting with Mikey, woman, and give your loving husband the attention he deserves!"

Rose and Mike immediately silenced and the room grew deathly still, like the moment just before a vicious storm hit.

"Shit," I murmured, loud enough for only Jasper to hear me. "Emmett's a bit of a dumbass, isn't he?"

"You have no idea."

"Excuse me?" Rose's voice was deceptively calm. The ice beneath the tone was apparent only to Mike—who'd begun snickering quietly almost immediately after Emmett had interjected—and myself from knowing her for so many years.

"You heard me! You're my wife so give me some attention, damnit!"

"Oh, I heard what you said," Rose sneered. "I just didn't think you were stupid enough to make demands. But I was wrong and you are." She stepped closer to Emmett, pausing less than a foot away from him. "Now you listen to me, Emmett Cullen. I may be your wife but that does _not_ give you the right to order me about like your servant! I'll give you attention whenever the damn hell I feel like and not a moment sooner! Do you understand me?"

"I understand that you have a thing for go-go dancers—" I winced at the mention. That was my cue to get out of Dodge. Rose wasn't going to like it that I told them about the fight. I pulled Jasper up with me and maneuvered him toward the door as a jealous Emmett continued on uninterrupted. "—and you know what? I forbid it! I'm all the man you need in your life! If you want someone to drool over, here I am, baby, and I'm all yours."

The closing of the suite door cut off whatever reply Rosalie made to her husband's jealous and self-righteous display.

Jasper, his hand still entwined with mine, looked down at me with a smile curving his lips. "We made it out alive. But I think I'll get Emmett a nice gravestone to mark his grave."

"I wouldn't place an order just yet," I replied with a sigh as we strolled toward the elevator. "She may not kill him. There's a fifty percent chance she'll thrown him down and do him. Arguing is like foreplay to her."

He grimaced at the mental image. "That was way too much information right there!"

"If you think the imagined version is bad, try walking in on it sometime!" I shuddered at the memory. There were some things you just did _not_ want to walk in on.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened so we could get into the empty car. Letting go of my hand, he wrapped his strong arm around my shoulders and I leaned into him as we rode in comfortable silence.

"So what is Rosalie's favorite drink?"

I smiled up at him and chuckled a little. "Rocky Mountain Bear Fuck."

He burst into laughter at hearing that, and I could see why he was so amused. Emmett was nothing if not a bear of a man. Whether it was coincidence or kismet, it seemed that Rosalie's shot of choice was a symbol of her perfect man.

"And what about yours, Miss Alice?" Jasper questioned moments later. Shivers coursed down my spine; I loved that accent of his. "Is yours a Piece of Ass?"

"Not really, no," I replied with a shake of my head. "Don't get me wrong, I do love it, but it's not my favorite."

"Then what is?"

I looked up into his curious blue eyes and blushed. Shaking my head I responded, "No, I don't want to say."

"Come on, you have to tell me now. You can't give me something like that and not expect me to give up."

"No, it's embarrassing." And I wasn't one to give into embarrassment easily.

"Now I really need to know. Please?" he pleaded, giving me the cutest puppy dog eyes I think I had ever seen. Jasper Whitlock had just found his secret weapon against me.

"Fine," I relented. "It's a Cowboy Cocksucker. I've always had kind of a thing for cowboys. The tight jeans, the hat, the drawl…" And that was why it was embarrassing. I couldn't help thinking of Jasper as my own personal cowboy.

Instead of laughing at the admission like I expected—and honestly wouldn't have been angry over—he grinned and pulled my body into his so we were facing each other, his arms circling my body. "We'll just have to see what we can do to make some of those thoughts of yours come true," he said, thickening his drawl and sending my heart racing and quickening my breathing.

He really was a dream come true and I wanted to smack myself for being oblivious to his affections for as long as I had. Twenty-four hours were twenty-four too many.

My eyes fluttered closed as he lowered his face to mine and our lips met. His were hot and firm yet still soft as they molded and moved against mine. His tongue traced my lips and I parted my own to let him in. He tasted even better now than he had last night, sweet and spicy and just generally mind blowing.

The elevator came to a stop and the bell dinged as the doors slid open, jerking us out of our own personal world. I giggled softly as one of the people waiting to get on cleared his throat. Letting go of me, Jasper took hold of my hand and led me out of the elevator and across the lobby.

"We'll have to try that again somewhere private," I commented, squeezing his hand.

"And that can't come to soon," he replied, pulling me to him once again, his arm returning to rest around my shoulders. "I want to take you out tonight, on a proper date. Just you and me with no distractions."

"I'd love that," I immediately replied, before frowning a little. "But the Girls and I already have plans to watch the fountain show tonight. It's the only thing Bella wanted to do on this trip. And believe me, it took a lot to get her to stop whining about this entire vacation." The end fountain scene set to Debussy was her favorite scene in _Ocean's Eleven_ and she was expecting so little from the trip anyway that we'd seen no reason to say no. Until now, anyway.

He stopped and looked at me, a frown on his lips for a moment before it was swept away by a smile. "Maybe I could join you for the show and we can have our night after."

"You have yourself a date, Mr. Whitlock," I pronounced as I pulled his lips down to mine for a steamy kiss. When I pulled back, he looked a little dazed. "And I, for one, am looking forward to it."

It was a few moments before he was able to speak. "You aren't the only one."


	15. Chapter 14

**Hey, all. Here's another chapter for y'all. Sorry for the wait. Rose and Emmett were being extra ornery with me while writing this, which is odd as they're the two I usually have the easiest time with. lol.**

**As usual, the links are on my profile (just one image and the youtube vids to the songs I referenced).**

**Enjoy! And also, go read Bethaboo's wonderful story, **_**Growing Pains: The Putting Lessons Prequel.**_** You won't be sorry you did.**

**And thank you to all who pointed out that Rosalie's bra was taken off twice…I still have no idea how both Boo and I missed that (and I missed it, like, ten times over the course of my writing and reviewing the chapter). But it's fixed now. Rosalie does not need to wear two bras at a time.**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

**RPOV**

_It's official. _The thought flashed through my mind as I rubbed my forehead, hoping to assuage the headache I could feel building. _I've married a moron._

Dropping my hand, I glared at my idiotic husband and took a deep breath, attempting to calm myself. "Just where do you get off getting all caveman stupid on me?" My voice came out level and as civil as I was capable of at the moment. If I didn't get control over my anger and irritation, I knew I'd end up doing something I would regret.

The "Cell Block Tango," while a catchy song, wasn't something I wanted to perform every time a new girl entered the clink.

Then again, neither was "Let's Get It On." I was in real danger of throwing him down and doing him right there. As stupid as he was currently acting, he was still so frickin' hot as he got all macho and argumentative. Apparently one could hate something about someone and still lust over them.

The situation needed defusing before I gave into one of my impulses. And at this point, I was more concerned about the second one. I'd learned something last night. Sex with Emmett could be addicting. I'd felt the pull the moment he'd entered the suite; that pull served only to turn my already pissy mood that much more sour.

And, to make matters worse, I was pretty certain that Little Mikey knew all about my body's reaction to my new spouse and was getting a huge kick out of it. But as long as he indulged me and helped keep my mind off Emmett, I'd ignored his glee. Until the bear-like man had busted up my diversion and gone all caveman on me. _Bastard._

_What does that say about you, though?_ a wicked voice in my head questioned. _You're the one who got wet the instant he spoke up._

Immediately, I pushed the thought away. Just because it was true, it didn't mean I had to acknowledge it, even to myself.

"Where do I get off? You're my wife, woman!" I wasn't sure what bothered me more: the Neanderthal behavior or the fact that I was finding his possessiveness…hot.

Mike's irritating "Double double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble" cackle sure as hell didn't help matters at all. _Jackass._

"I may be your wife, but that doesn't mean that you own me!"

"Yes it does!"

Mike let out a particularly loud cackle, followed up by a loud snort.

"Mike! Get the fuck out of here!" Emmett growled.

"Now, or I'll make certain you never get laid again," I added with a sneer.

"What? You couldn't just threaten death?" he questioned as he grabbed his wallet off one of the side tables and backed toward the door. "At least that doesn't fall under the heading of cruel and unusual punishment!"

"Just get lost you little horny toad!" I waited for the door to slam closed behind him before rounding on Emmett. "What do you mean you own me, you overgrown jackass? I'm not a possession! I don't belong to you!"

"Yes you do!" he yelled back. "You're my wife! You belong to me! Just like I belong to you!"

It felt like his fiercely spoken statement had knocked my breath from my lungs while simultaneously causing a fresh wave of wetness to pool between my thighs.

_Just like I belong to you._

His assertion echoed through my mind. He belonged to me. He was _mine_. I loved the sound of that, the feeling of power it gave me to have him in my possession. It no longer even bothered me that he felt I was his property. Too much, anyway. I ignored the voice that called me a hypocrite for wanting to own him but not be owned by him.

"Rose? Are you alright?" The concern over my lengthy silence was obvious on his face as he took a step closer to me.

I met him halfway and clasped my fingers behind his neck to pull his lips down to mine. I kissed him with all the aggression and pent-up lust our clash had caused. Arguing had always been synonymous with foreplay to me, hence my earlier concern over option number two.

A trace echo of Marvin Gaye pealed through my head, his smooth vocals and accompanying jazzy instrumentals devolving into the driving, pounding rock beats and Trent Reznor's growling vocals about down-and-dirty sex as Emmett's hot, strong arms surrounded me and crushed my body to his.

All heat and teeth and hardness, the kiss was a fight for domination and power. Snaking my hands between us—not an easy prospect, as close together as we were—I reached the hem of his shirt and raised it up. Our mouths crashed back together after a separation long enough only to chip the shirt up and off. The heat emanating from his skin was practically incendiary and I spent only a moment to caress the taut expanse before quickly unbuttoning my own shirt, sparing a scant moment to pay thanks to my decision to wear a button-down so we wouldn't once again have to disengage from the bruising kiss. Soon the pale yellow fabric was tossed carelessly to floor.

His calloused hands drifted over my back, teasing around the edges of my bra. I hissed as my sensitive breasts made contact with his chest, soothing the ache while simultaneously sending sparks of need and desire throughout my body.

Running my hands from his broad shoulders and down to the waistband of his jeans, I made quick work of the button and zipper, pushing the heavy fabric down his legs before pressing myself to him once again. I could feel him, thick and firm against my belly and I felt the throbbing need to feel him between my legs. As if he could read my thoughts, Emmett's large hands drifted down to cup my ass. With a small hop, I wrapped my legs around his hips and moaned as I felt him ride against where I wanted him most; only the fabric of his boxers and my panties separated us. _Thank goodness I chose to wear a skirt today,_ a self-satisfied portion of my mind purred.

With the aid of Emmett's grasp, I ground myself against him. His growling groan and my whimpering moan melded in harmony. Our breaths were harsh and panting as my hands found purchase on his shoulders, aiding in my rhythmic grind. The friction was almost too glorious to bear as his fingers dug into the flesh of my ass, holding me to him.

"Which one's your room?" he asked against my lips, pulling back only enough to speak his question aloud.

"That one," I responded impatiently, gesturing to the door behind me before I trailed my lips over his jaw. Before my lips reached the skin of his throat, he took a couple steps forward, adding a new rhythm of friction that I wanted to last forever. Unfortunately, it didn't.

Only a couple steps were made before we were in free fall. My breath whooshed out of my lungs as my back hit the thick, plush cushion of the carpeting and Emmett's heavy weight pressed down on me.

I looked up into his face couldn't hold back the laugh bubbling up in my throat. He looked so stunned, as though he didn't know what had happened. His face slowly turned red as a surprising streak of embarrassment flashed through him.

"This isn't funny, Rosalie!" he growled in irritation as he held himself above me so that his bulk wasn't pinning me down.

His indignation only sent a fresh set of giggles coursing through me, though I tried to cut them off. However infuriating he could be, he didn't need to be laughed at while he was down. "I'm sorry," I said breathlessly. "It's wrong of me to laugh."

He only grunted in response while I tried to get a hold of myself. "I don't understand. What the hell happened?"

"It's kind of hard to walk with your pants caught 'round your ankles," I managed to get out before trying to fend off a fresh wave of giggles, something easier said than done. Until mid-fall, I had forgotten that he was still wearing his shoes.

"You think this is funny?" he growled after a few moments of silence. Presumably, he had been waiting, erroneously, for me to pull it together.

"Just a lit—" my response transformed into a moan as he ground his hard erection into me, the heat sparking through my bloodstream. _Oh, God, that feels good!_

"Yeah, that's what I thought." His voice was smug, all sign of any embarrassed indignation vanished as though it had never existed.

My eyes closed in bliss as he rocked against me again. _What was I laughing about again?_ I couldn't remember, nor did I truly care to. I tangled my fingers in his dark curls and pulled his mouth back to mine for a searing kiss before trailing my lips over his jaw and to the skin of his throat, sucking and nipping his salty skin.

Balancing his weight on his right arm, his calloused fingers trailing up my arm to my shoulder. Goosebumps appeared in the wake of his touch, the rough texture of his skin at odds with the gentleness of his touch. From my shoulder, his fingers followed the lace-and-taffeta strap of my bra.

My head dropped back and I moaned in pleasure as he lightly traced the outline of my aroused nipples through the cotton-and-mesh. Sensation sparked through my veins ant straight to my core, no longer the low-level hum that burned through me whenever we were in the same room, but now an inferno of lust and desire.

As his fingers circled, his mouth covered my other nipple through the fabric, suckling and nibbling in the most exquisite torture. My back arched, offering myself to him, pressing closer. His hand slid behind my back and quickly unfastened the clasps holding the fabric to my frame. He nudged the fabric down and I removed my hands from their tangling hold in his soft hair in favor of slipping the straps down and off my arms before returning them to Emmett's heated body. Within moments, nothing separated his mouth from my skin.

All irritation and anger I felt with him for both recent and past events were long forgotten in this moment, as I'd learned last night. Everything was forgotten in the wake of our passion and I hated it. In an hour's time I would remember who we were and everything he had done to me and, you know what? I just wasn't ready to make nice, as the Dixie Chicks would say. I wasn't ready to forgive and forget; it wasn't in my nature to do so. I could hold a grudge with the best of them, whether it was right of me to do so or not.

When this interlude was over, when I remembered everything that had happened between us, both past and present, I would hate myself and the grudge would only be strengthened. Until the next time we were alone and gave into the uncontrollable feelings between us and we were given respite. I would have to steel my resolve and make sure we never had another opportunity for what was between us to repeat itself. I couldn't allow myself to weaken and give him the impression that I was just some weak-willed woman who would let any offenses pass without comment. I had to remain strong, remain vigilant.

Too bad it was easier said than done.

I didn't want to examine why I could so easily forget everything when we were together like this, bare skin to bare skin. I didn't want to analyze why I wanted to be able to forgive him. It was probable that I wouldn't like the reasons I would find.

With a strangled moan, I writhed against him as his hand slid lower, caressing over my belly, smoothing the skirt circling my waist, and to the damp panties that matched the bra. His touch was electric and my hips jerked into him, attempting to increase the friction as he lightly traced the outline of my folds over the soft fabric.

Drawing my hands over his strong shoulders, I fisted my hands in his hair and tugged. "Damn it, Emmett," I growled. "Stop teasing!"

I felt his chuckle more than heard it before he raised his head and locked eyes with me. His dimples were out in full-force. How he managed to look so innocent yet devilish at the same time is beyond me.

"Teasing? Oh, you mean like this?" He slipped a finger beneath the edge of my panties and my breath caught in my throat. His own groan overpowered the soft whimper as his finger firmed upon me. "Damn, Rosie, you're so wet!"

Words were beyond me as he ran his finger up and down my slit, always stopping just short of my clit as he played. Only incoherent sounds—whimpers and mewls—left my throat as I rocked my hips, attempting to get his finger to do as I wished.

His firm, moist lips trailed over my stomach, placing soft kisses over the bared expanse, pausing to lave at my navel. His finger left me as he raised his hand to the waistband of my skirt. Balancing his weight on his knees, he drew the pleated fabric down and off my body, taking my panties with it, leaving me completely bare before him.

His blue eyes practically glowed with desire as he looked up at me, his mouth and tongue still toying with my bellybutton. His hands rested on my hips and I slowly undulated, conveying my impatience. "Enough with the foreplay, Emmett," I commanded, though it came out with a whining edge to it, causing him to chuckle once again.

"Ah, but we've only started, my goddess," he murmured as he continued his trail of kisses until his mouth reached the top of my slit, so close to where I wanted him. My body was practically humming, as though a low-level electric current was rushing through me, strongest wherever we were touching.

My breath caught in my throat as his tongue swept out and caressed my damp swollen skin, my hips involuntarily thrusting toward him. He purred low in his throat, a quiet, vibratory sound of delight. His tongue reemerged and licked up my wetness once again. "You taste wonderful," he said, half-statement and half-groan. "I could do this all day."

As he lapped at my skin, his fingers slowly stroked my wet folds, pausing every few moments to circle my entrance. It wasn't until a near-constant stream of moans and whimpers released from my throat and my body was aflame in the hottest of infernos that he finally answered my pleas and unhurriedly slid a single finger into me.

Immediately, I clamped down on his thick digit, only to have him pull out and return with a second finger. He started up a steady rhythm and it wasn't long before I was on the cusp of release. I was right on the brink, but he refused to push me over. "Emmett!" My voice was more pleading than I was comfortable with, but the larger part of me was past caring. "Stop dicking around! I need to cum!" That was more like it.

He chuckled into my core, the vibrations just amping my need that much more. "You really must not have been paying attention last night." The amused smugness in his voice was nearly unbearable. "I haven't even begun 'dicking around' yet, sweetheart."

"Ha-ha, jackass," I growled, meeting his still-thrusting fingers with my hips. "Just get on with it, already!"

"If that's what you really want, then your wish is my command." He ducked his head down once again and sucked my clit into his mouth, worrying it with his teeth.

Moments later, he bit down lightly while digging his blunt nails into my inner walls and I exploded with a keening cry, clenching tightly around him. Fireworks lit off behind my closed eyes as my body shook and fractured, riding out the orgasm.

My breath came in harsh pants as the pleasure slowly ebbed from my body and I opened my eyes to see Emmett wearing a proud, cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. If his strong fingers weren't still working inside me, I probably would've been pissed at the sight. Instead, I reached down and tangled my fingers in his hair and pulled his face up to mine. A quiet sound of dismay bubbled up my throat as he removed his fingers from within me so he could catch himself after I overbalanced him.

I could taste myself on his lips as I slipped my tongue into his mouth to caress his. I ran my hands down his broad back, smoothing over the hot skin and hard muscles, until my fingers came up against the soft cotton of his boxers. Slipping my hands underneath the waistband, I continued down to the firm cheeks of his ass and squeezed, pulling his hips into mine. The groan he emitted was music to my ears.

His hips began rocking, echoing the thrust of our tongues, his cloth covered erection sliding over my wet flesh. A throbbing ache started up between my legs at the sensation and I wanted nothing more than for him to be inside me. Now.

I pushed his boxers down over his hips, pushing them down to join his pants around his ankles. Sliding my hand between us, I grasped his hard cock and squeezed as I slid my palm over his length. His hips jerked and he growled into my mouth. His hands framed my face and he held my head still as he deepened the kiss.

"Ungh…I need you in me. Now," I ordered, emphasizing my point with a gentle tug.

"I need to be in you," he groaned as I lined him up and he thrust into me.

I sighed as I felt him fill me and I arched my back, pressing myself closer to him. _Oh yeah, that's good,_ I mentally moaned.

"You can say that again," Emmett replied, pressing his lips against mine again as he set up a slow, deep rhythm.

_Oh, crap. Did I say that out loud?_ I must have, though, but as he thrust in fully, I didn't care so long as he kept doing that. Our tongues tangled together as I clenched my fingers into his shoulders, pulling his chest to rest closer to mine.

Each pump into me sent me—both of us—higher up the peak. My body grew inflamed, feeding off the heat emitting from his large frame. Our breaths came in harsh pants as we broke the kiss and he rested his forehead against mine. Slowly, he sped up the rhythm of our rocking and I raised my legs to circle his waist, deepening the angle of his penetration.

A wordless moan bubbled up my throat, mingling with his answering one as he slid even deeper and hit just the right spot. "Faster," I said, my voice sounding hoarse and strangled to my own ears, made gravelly by the lust riding through my veins.

He answered my request, putting his weight and strength into the motions. With each powerful stroke, sparks burst out through my body. It was hard to believe the sensation was all internal and not flaring from us and setting the entire Bellagio ablaze.

"So close," I whimpered as I neared the peak once again. Already I knew that this release would blow every other I'd ever had out of the water, eclipsing them in size and brilliance. "Emmett…so close…"

"Open your eyes, baby," he replied, his voice sounding even more gravelly than my own. Opening my eyes, I looked straight into his baby blues. "I love you, my Rosalie," he professed with unmistakable sincerity. He emphasized his words by circling my clit with one strong finger. Adding a second finger, he pinched and my orgasm poured through me, almost as though it were an exclamation mark at the end of his statement.

I called out his name as I burned and though the cry sounded quiet to my ears, I knew it had to have bordered on a scream. I heard my own name being called as he thrust deeply into me again, his body shaking while he emptied himself into me.

He collapsed upon me, a comforting weight. I could feel his breath flowing into the crook of my neck as the afterglow buoyed my consciousness, flowing through me and making everything seem golden and optimistic. I smoothed my hands over his cooling, sweat-covered back. The action was caring and gentle, so at odds with my earlier anger and frustration. I knew that, later, I'd regret it, but for now I gave into it.

I had to admit there was a part of me that cared about him still. That might even love him, however much I wished it didn't. I knew that was why I couldn't stay mad at him as I so wanted to. That was the part of me that kept urging me to say "Who cares if I look like a doormat for doing so? I forgive you."

But how could I allow myself to do that? To open myself up to that and risk having it happen again? Risk having him hurt me worse once my emotions were even more deeply involved?

I just couldn't do it.

I couldn't take that risk. There's just no way. So I would take this time, probably our last moment like this, and keep it as a good memory of the most frustrating man that I had ever, and probably would ever, meet in my life. Once we were back in Seattle, things could get back to normal and he could be relegated back to the role of a beautiful mistake that could never be made again. Back in Seattle, it would be easier to avoid him. Just twenty-four hours more and I could get back to my life, this little hiccup all but forgotten.

For now, however, I'd revel in the feeling of being loved, truly loved, by a man and forget everything else.

Dimly, I heard the door open. Almost right on top of the sound was a startled shriek and an irritated groan.

"Good Lord! Don't you have any semblance of decency, Emmett?" Edward's voice.

"My eyes! Why am _I_ always the one who walks into these situations?" And there was Bella.

As Emmett groaned into my neck at the interruption, I looked over his back and saw an extremely embarrassed duo. They looked as if they wanted the floor to swallow them whole. I threw my head back and laughed.


	16. Chapter 15

**I'm sorry. I have no excuse for taking so long in getting this out to y'all. I won't even attempt an excuse. I feel the best way to apologize is just to get right to the chapter. Links are in the profile and please enjoy.**

**Oh, and while there are multiple bars with the same name as the one in this chapter (all over the country, apparently), I've completely made the bar in this chapter up. It's one of the few locations in Vegas I've fabricated.**

**And, once again, a **_**huge**_** THANK YOU to the bestest beta in the world, Bethaboo. If you haven't read her works yet, go do so now. She's listed in my Favorite Authors on my profile.**

**P.S. Thank you, everyone, for not sending me tons of demands and queries about when I'm going to update. While it made me feel guiltier for not doing so sooner, it did help me concentrate on getting this sucker out to y'all.**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

**BPOV**

The beautiful, delicate strains of a piano cascaded out from hidden speakers as beautifully lit streams of water sprayed and danced from the famed Bellagio Fountains. The jets of water waved back and forth in time to my favorite classical song. The peaceful music and relaxing motion of the water almost made up for the stress and strangeness of this entire vacation.

Almost.

Even "Clair de Lune" and the recreation of my favorite scene from _Ocean's Eleven_ couldn't take away the turmoil of my emotions and churning of my mind. I leaned into the balustrade in front of the fountains and did my best to shove all uncertainty to the back of my mind. I wanted to enjoy this; the show was something you didn't get to see every day unless you lived in Las Vegas, which I decidedly did not.

To my right stood Rose and Mike, my partners for the rest of the evening. I kept my gaze on the fountains, knowing that if I looked at Rose, I'd get an image of Emmett's toned ass between her legs. It was an image that was burned into my retinas and I wished I could wash it out with Clorox and a Brillo pad. And maybe some caustic lye. Blindness was a small price to pay to never have to see that again, in person or imagination.

Alice and Jasper were to my left. They would be leaving our company at the completion of the show and off to do whatever happily, sappily in like-love daters did while on vacation in Sin City. I didn't want to begrudge the two their happiness, but in my current frame of mind, they made me sick. They were just too…sugary-happy. I was glad we'd be parting at the end of the show. If they were to stick with us through the night, I'd need a shot of insulin. Or maybe two.

Lord, I was becoming a bitch. Damn Cuervo. I wasn't that way before last night. At least, I didn't think I was. I hoped I wasn't.

Applause broke out as the song and the show came to an end and the spectators began to filter away. Sighing, I straightened up, as did my friends, and turned to lean back against the balustrade.

"So what are your plans for the evening?" Rose questioned, her gaze on the lone couple among us.

"I hope it involves getting a room," Mike added, his voice containing a snarky edge, upon seeing how tightly Alice and Jasper were wrapped in each other's arms.

Lovely Mike. He took the words right out of my mouth while simultaneously making me feel like less of a bitch. At least I wasn't the only one put out by the excessive PDA they were exuding.

On the other hand, it was nice that at least one of our group was having an easy time of it. I was happy for Alice; Jasper was a great guy and I could easily envision him being "The One" for Alice. If it weren't for my own problems, I'd probably be ecstatic for her.

If Mike's pointed gripe bothered either of the couple, neither of them let on. "Actually, I plan on taking Alice out for a very romantic date," Jasper smoothly answered the question. "She deserves nothing but the best."

Rose and I exchanged a glance. It was as if he was trying to get himself beat up by two unlucky-in-love women! A heartbeat later, we both smiled, apparently coming to the same decision. At least one of us was having some luck on this trip. "It sounds great," I stated.

Rose added, "I hope you two have a great time."

"I'm sure we will," Alice said, her voice and expression almost saturated with perkiness. But inside her blue eyes, I could see a shadow of concern for the rest of us, the Lonely Hearts Club, and I softened my smile so it didn't look as faked.

That I was resentful of Alice's happiness sent another sharp jab of self-disappointment through me. Self-pity was unlike me and I almost couldn't believe I was indulging in it. Alice had dated some real idiots and she'd finally met someone who, I could already see, adored her and believed she hung the moon and the stars. When I really considered things in that way, I instantly felt better.

"You two had better get going," I stated. "After all, the night isn't getting any younger."

"And don't forget," Mike finally piped up, this time with no hint of sarcasm in his voice, "avoid a frown, contain your clown."

If we weren't in front of a busy casino, I would have sworn you could hear the crickets chirping as we all turned to look at the blond man.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Rose asked, voicing the question that was in all our minds.

"You know. If you think she's spunky, cover your monkey."

Again there was silence as we stared at him, this time in disbelief.

"Don't be silly, protect your Willie." He looked back at us, the picture of innocent. "Don't be a fool, protect your—"

"Jesus Christ, Michael! We get it already!" Rose burst out in exasperation. "What the hell is wrong with you, man? You don't just burst out with idiotic wanna-be condom slogans!"

"Why not? They're good ones! And they teach an important lesson. Like an extremely short after school special."

And here was another moment when I wondered just why Mike Newton was one of my best friends. While Rose and Mike continued to bicker, I turned to Alice and Jasper. "This is your chance, you two. Escape while you can. I'm stuck with both of them the rest of the night, you don't need to be. Go enjoy yourselves."

The two candidates for World's Gooiest Couple flashed me a smile and a wave before backing away. Lucky little monkeys.

I let Rose and Mike argue for a few more minutes. "I thought we were going out, not standing in front of a fountain, making fools of ourselves."

All aggressive postures relaxed as they both looked at me. "We're not making fools of ourselves," Mike countered.

"You just said 'I know you are, but what am I?' That's hardly non-foolish behavior."

Rose snickered at that. I raised a brow at her. Did she really need me to point out her wonderful "I'm rubber, you're glue; everything you say bounces off me and sticks to you"? Sometimes I felt more like the mother of five-year-old twins than the twenty-four-year-old woman I was.

"Come on," Rose spoke up before I could speak up. "I know just the place. It's just what we need after the past twenty-four hours."

Closing my eyes, I took a deep, calming breath, and followed my two friends. I always felt a measure of apprehension whenever the words "it's just what we need" came out of Rose's mouth. The anxiety turned out to be justified as I was led to a small, dimly lit bar. It was the kind of bar people thought about when they wanted to go and get away from it all. It wasn't too busy and the jukebox could easily be heard above the soft murmur of voices.

I took a quick moment to identify the song playing then wanted to groan when I heard it. Patsy Cline. "I Fall To Pieces". _Wonderful._ It definitely wasn't the song I needed to hear tonight, it struck more of a chord inside me than any other time I'd ever heard it. Any other night, any other night before this one, it wouldn't make me want to give into the self-pity I was trying to resist, nor would it prompt my mind to bring forth an image off a certain man with emerald green eyes who could never be my own. _I fall to pieces each time someone speaks your name,_ I quietly sang in my head, hating how true that was quickly becoming. It was my fervent hope that by the end of the upcoming week, once matters were fully resolved, I could go back to my life without this incessant confusion and inappropriate feelings.

Rose met my annoyed gaze head on. "What? I've heard nothing but good reviews of this place from the locals."

"C'mon, pull the other one," Mike snorted.

"Okay, fine. Emmett also wouldn't think to come searching here. He's not the country sort."

"Avoidance, Rose?" I couldn't help commenting.

"Confrontation leads to wild monkey sex," she responded archly, looking highly disgusted at herself. "Besides, you're avoiding, too."

"Yes, but avoidance is in my repertoire," I cheekily replied, following her to the bar. I hopped up onto a barstool beside her and rested my arms on the bar. The bartender came over momentarily and asked for our orders.

Thinking back to the previous night and this morning's mother of all hangovers, I started to order a soda but was unable to get the words out of my mouth before Rose overrode me.

"Well, my good man, I will have a Rocky Mountain Bear Fuck, he will have the Ultimate Sex, and she will have Kinky/Sex."

The bartender nodded, barely raising a brow at the drink names and turned to get the bottles he needed. I glared at Rose for her presumption. "You're drinking that, you know. After last night, I've sworn off alcohol. It leads to bad things."

"It's only bad because you don't remember it," Mike stated, reaching for the bowl of peanuts.

"He already has a girlfriend back home, monkey nut! I'm the other woman!" I stared at the highball glass that was set before me. "And his father has seen me naked." The thought was still mortifying to me and, despite my earlier vow, I reached out and took a big sip of the icy, blended drink. At least it wasn't the demon tequila, that snuck up on you when you least expected it.

"What was that?" They were both looking at me in surprise and it was then I realized I had stated that last thought aloud. "His dad has what?"

"His dad's my doctor," I grudgingly elaborated.

"You married your doctor's son?" It was said in disbelief before Mike started laughing. He was finding this whole situation much funnier than it actually was.

"Isn't that what she just said?" Rose, it seemed, had picked up on my desire to not dwell on the situation. "Dr. Hot Bitch?" Then again, maybe not.

I knew going out with these two tonight was a horrible idea. No, scratch that. I knew this entire trip had been a terrible idea. I should never have let myself get persuaded into it with Jane Austen and _Ocean's Eleven_.

"Yeah, well, you did, too," I pointed out to her, sounding an awful lot like a petulant child. I wasn't the only one who was a regular patient of Carlisle Cullen. I may have been the first, but the rest of the Girls had quickly followed upon my gushing about how gorgeous the man was.

"That's right." She sounded too proud of that fact, the little witch. An expression of annoyance soon followed as she was reminded of her own marital status. In the time that it took to blink, she threw back her shot and gestured for the bartender. "Keep 'em coming."

"Look at the bright side, Bella," Mike chimed in and the twinkle in his eye that instantly set me on edge. "At least you've only been seen naked by Edward and Hot Bitch. Rose here has been seen by both them _and_ Emmett.

I cringed at the memory he brought up. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

**EPOV**

I looked up at the understated sign hoisted above the doorway. The sight of Emmett's "dude, we gotta go there" location left me, not so strangely, unimpressed.

After the past twenty-four hours, I acutely felt the need to relax and come to terms with everything that had happened. I would probably be back in the hotel suite if my darling brother hadn't gotten on one of his I'll-keep-annoying-you-until-you-come-with-me jags. I'd learned long ago that giving in gracefully was the only way to deal with him when he got in one of those moods.

I looked away from the bar's sign momentarily and at my brother before reading the sign once again. Dick's Last Resort.

"Is this really Dick's Last Resort?" I questioned, my voice as dry as the Sahara, even to my own ears.

"Come on, man, give it a chance," Emmett wheedled. "Larry, the bellboy at the Bellagio, recommended this place as the best low-key bar in town. It's just the type of place to knock back a few and try to drown away your problems."

"It's not a good idea. Alcohol is the reason behind my problems," I pointed out pragmatically. Giving him a sidelong glance, I continued, "And we all know the reason behind your problems is your astonishing c—"

"Hey! While I admit that my cock is quite amazing, I was not—"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Emmett! I was going to say your cavalier behavior." It sometimes astounded me how we'd been raised in the same house yet were so vastly different. "Right now your wife would love you if you hadn't given in to your juvenile personality and sabotaged her business. She stole _one_ client from you. I'm sure you've stolen a client from her, too. A little competition never killed anyone."

"Don't you think I know all that?" he responded, sounding more serious than I'd ever heard him. "Way to kick a man when he's down."

The door to the bar opened as a couple of its patrons departed and the strains of country music filtered out, cut off by the closing of the door. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Not only did he make me feel a bit guilty for once again pointing out his own stupidity, but he was, apparently, doing his best to subject me to more guilt through sad, vintage country songs. He was going to owe me for this. Still, I couldn't help but give a retreat one last shot. "I'm sorry, Emmett. But is country music and alcohol really going to help you any?"

The trademark, dimpled, boyish grin quickly returned to his face. "I don't know. I've never tried it. Tonight, we're going to give it a shot."

He grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me alongside him. Mere seconds later, the door was closing behind us. My jaw dropped in shock as my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting to reveal something—some_one_—I hadn't expected to see tonight.

"Good evening, Las Vegas!" Mike was standing on an empty table, Collins glass half-filled with a brightly colored drink in his hand. "I'm Mike and I'll be your entertainer this evening!"

Emmett and I exchanged a glance before looking back at our inebriated friend. The patrons in the bar were silent, all eyes focused on the blond man. _Is he here alone or are Rose and Bella with him?_

"I'd like to start off with one of my favorites, and I sure hope one of yours. To help me with it, I'd like to bring up my good friend Rosalie! Let's give her a hand, everybody!" At the mention of her named, an equally-sloshed looking, and undeniably annoyed, Rose was yanked up onto the table. Mike was stronger than he looked.

_That answers the question as to whether he's on his own._

Seconds later, Mike began to sing. _"Sometimes it's hard, to be a woman. Giving all your love to just one man…"_ Considering how drunk he was, his voice was actually quite good.

I started looking over the bar patrons as Mike clumsily tried to hold Rosalie's hands with his own without spilling a drop of his fruity-looking drink. _"But if you love him you'll forgive him, even though he's hard to understand."_

My eyes finally lit upon a familiar head of mahogany hair and I drifted away from an enraptured Emmett. Bella was sitting alone at one of the weathered, round wooden tables, the only one not watching the spectacle that Mike was making of himself. A large pitcher of a light-pink slushy drink sat in front of her as well as a partially filled hurricane glass. I took a seat as Rosalie joined her friend on the chorus. Bella, staring down into her glass, was oblivious both to her friend's antics and to my arrival at her table.

"Are you alright?" I questioned after a few moments of watching her.

Her head snapped up and she gave a few hard blinks, as if she was coming out of a dream or other deep thoughts. "Edward! What are you doing here?"

"Emmett," I responded by way of explanation. She nodded and I could tell she understood. I had a feeling she occasionally had only to give her friend's names as explanations. Between the two of us, we did have an odd little group of personalities.

"Rosalie," she gave her own explanation. She glanced to the side and flinched at the sight of her two friends up on the table.

The song came to an end and they immediately launched into another I wasn't familiar with. I caught sight of Emmett sitting at the bar, his eyes practically glued on his wife. I shook my head and turned back to my own, temporary, wife. "Are you alright?" I repeated my earlier query. "You seemed pretty out of it."

Through the muted glow of the lights, I could see a flush residing high on her cheeks. Bella was such a low-key personality I could easily understand how she could be embarrassed by her effervescent friends. She drank the rest of the contents in her glass before answering. "I'm fine. Just trying to tune out Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton over there." She shook her head and refilled her glass from the pitcher. "They're even worse at karaoke bars. Not only do they ham it up, but they also heckle everyone else. It's terrifying."

Her words contained a soft edge, more noticeable now that she'd spoken more than a few words, and her flushed cheeks made sense as more than just embarrassment. Bella was tipsy. I couldn't help but feel a sharp stab of concern and protectiveness. I told myself it was only caused by our friendship, though a small part of me acknowledged that it felt a bit deeper than that. I promised myself that I'd look after her tonight and make sure she didn't do anything she'd regret upon waking tomorrow. She'd already reached her quota for this vacation. "I can see how it would be."

The second song ended. Before Rose and Mike could start up a second—"If they start singing 'Islands in the Stream,' I think I'll die," Bella murmured—one of the bar's patrons, a man dressed like an extra from the Community Theater's production of _Oklahoma!_, spoke up, presumably to call a halt to this bizarre display. "Someone fire up the karaoke machine!" The command was echoed by the other country-loving customers. I never would have expected this crowd to love a drunken gay man and blonde making spectacles of themselves. Emmett looked ready to climax in his pants at the thought of Rose doing it up right.

Bella groaned as the bartender started setting up the karaoke machine and downed her drink yet again, cringing a little as the ice cream headache stabbed her between the eyes. Valiantly, she ignored it and poured the last of the pitcher into her glass. She was going to hate being herself in the morning. "You're going to want a drink, Edward. It's the only thing that makes those two bearable in full-blown karaoke mode."

I declined the drink and soon Mike and Rose were back to their two-person show. It was easy to see what Bella had meant about the two getting into a karaoke mode. The two became more effervescent than ever, like some almost scary form of Donny and Marie. Instead of getting sucked into them, I blocked them out and focused on Bella.

"How much have you had to drink tonight?" I questioned, knowing that whatever amount had already been too much.

"Too much," she echoed my own thoughts. "I knew I should have returned to the hotel instead of coming here. Next time I'll listen to my instincts and ignore the two singing psychos."

"I am glad you're here, though," I admitted to her. "Though I am sorry about the hangover you're going to have tomorrow."

"I'm glad you're here, too," Bella said with a small smile. "You're the only other sane person I know anymore."

I snorted a little at that, but I couldn't help thinking the same about her, especially considering her friends and my brother's rapt attention to them.

Bella raised her glass and caught the bartender's attention. "More Kinky/Sex, please!"

Her voice was a little louder than she'd intended and some snickering came from the tables around us. I barely heard them over the rush of my blood flowing straight to my lower body at her request. I closed my eyes and tried to will my sudden, and inappropriate, erection.

Taking a deep breath, I looked over at her. "I'll get it for you," I said, my voice coming out more gravelly than I would've thought. I grabbed her glass and the accompanying pitcher and moved to the bar. "Two waters, please." No matter what, Bella would have a hangover in the morning, but I could save her some of the severity.

The bartender raised a brow, but had clearly seen that we knew each other so he let the change pass without comment and handed me two bottles of water. When I got back to the table and set her new drink before her, Bella looked confused. I couldn't help the smile that curved my lips; she looked like a child who couldn't figure out how vegetables always appeared on her plate at dinnertime.

"I think the bartender made it wrong," she stated uncertainly. "It's too clear and in a bottle."

"That's because it's water," I pointed out, trying not to let my humor show. "I think your hangover is going to be bad enough as it is. I'm trying to save you some of the pain by getting you hydrated before hand."

She stared at me silently for a few moments. "You're going to be a doctor," she said, her voice sounding almost like she'd just remembered that. Which was probably true.

"Yes, I am."

"You're going to be a good one." She sounded certain of that and I couldn't help the feeling of pure joy that jolted through me at the pronouncement. "We'll have to come up with something better than Dr. Hot Bitch for you, though. Your dad is great and all, but you're much hotter than he is. And McDreamy and McSteamy have nothing on you, either."

I opened and closed my mouth, struggling for words. What could I possibly say to that? Thank you? I'm glad you think so highly of me? I'm scared to know what that nickname would possibly be?

Mike's booming voice cut off any response I was going to make, and I couldn't help but feel thankful as I still didn't know what was going to come out of my mouth. "Bella! Come show these fine, fine people what you can do! Everyone, let's give our friend a round of applause and encouragement."

Only I could hear the groan over the sound of the clapping, though her beet red face was visible to all. It was true that I hadn't known her long, but even I knew that she hated being the center of attention. "You don't have to go up there," I told her. "We can leave right now."

"No," she responded. "I have to or they'll drive me nuts for weeks to come. It's a rule; all the Girls need to sing at least one song at karaoke. I still don't know how I agreed to that one." She stood and smiled at me. "I'll sing you a good song."

As Bella made her way to the makeshift stage, Emmett came to sit at the table with me. "Isn't this great?" he asked, his grin as wide as I'd ever seen it and I was sure it was due to watching Rosalie acting so uninhibited and carefree. "I have to remember to thank Larry for his suggestion. That tube top Rosie's wearing makes her tits look great."

I barely kept from rolling my eyes at him. He could be such an idiot sometimes.

"Those pants do great things for Bella's ass, too."

"Emmett?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

The tune of a country song, vaguely familiar to me, started emitting from the karaoke machine as Bella made her selection and gathered the microphone from Mike.

Her voice, once she began singing, was clear and pure and, like her friends, much better than one would expect for her having had so much to drink. The tone of her voice held a hint of huskiness, whether usual for her or due to the alcohol, I didn't know, that lent the song a certain sexiness. _"I go out walkin' after midnight, out in the moonlight just like we used to do. I'm always walkin' after midnight searching for you. I walk for miles along the highway, well, that's just my way of saying I love you…"_

I felt another wave of joy, quickly followed by the sharp stab of incongruous desire. I knew I shouldn't read anything into her song choice or the lyrics, but a small part of my mind pointed out that she was singing this to me and that part of me, the part that was undeniably smitten with her, was ecstatic at the thought of her loving me.

I stifled a groan at my inner conflict. I was so screwed. I could only hope that after Tuesday and our annulment was finalized, I could go back to my well-ordered life without the incessant confusion and inappropriate feelings for someone I already thought of as one of my best friends.


End file.
